Equality is an interesting aspect to social media communities. Created by technology savvy founders with the goal of uniting people of all walks of life across long distances, social media channels have helped us to ignite social change with the Arab Spring in early 2011, provided reassurance that our loved ones were safe during the November 2015 Paris Attacks, and connected lost friends and family members around the globe. On the flip side, all social media networks have their own terms of use agreements that you agree to when you create an account. Some of the baffling policies included in these have led to the ongoing discussion of why Instagram won’t #FreeTheNipple. Mens nipples are perfectly fine, but a breastfeeding mother is almost certainly going to get you banned.
Recently it came to our attention that Instagram has taken their attack on cannabis related businesses to the next level when they brought the fight to our front door this morning, suspending our account for “promoting recreational drug use,” which is not allowed. With over 21,000 highly engaged cannabis loving followers, our violation was as ambiguous as it was unreasonable. None of the Instagram representatives can answer how our photos of cannabis are any different from those shown on news outlets like Newsweek, The Denver Post or Hightimes.
Newsweek:
The Denver Post:
High Times:
Leafly:
Having spent a fair amount of my career in the technology sector, where I rarely met a tech founder who had not partaken in marijuana for recreational purposes, I have to wonder if Instagram co-founder and CEO, Kevin Systrom, is aware of how his terms of service are being handled.
If Instagram is going to take the archaic “Just Say No” stance on all cannabis, then the only fair way to govern this policy is by suspending all accounts, including violators like Newsweek. Of course, I would encourage them to redefine how they define “promoting recreational drug use,” as marijuana has been proven in 23 states, even in the District of Columbia, to be a legal medicine used by thousands in lieu of pharmaceuticals for legitimate medical conditions. If highly respected media organizations like Newsweek can show cannabis freely on the cover of an issue, shouldn’t we be allowed to highlight strains and users while reporting on what is happening within the cannabis community?
