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Cannabis operators report Instagram page ‘shadow bans’ and closures

Despite growing acceptance of cannabis, many state-regulated marijuana businesses say their social media pages are being hidden, engagement is being throttled and – in some cases – accounts are being shut down.

Because most states restrict marijuana ads from television, radio and print media, licensed operators have turned to social media platforms such as Instagram, owned by Meta, to spread their messages.

“Meta updated its terms and conditions about two weeks ago,” said John Greene, co-owner of Rhode Island cannabis cultivator CMS Gardens.

“As soon as that email was sent to Meta users, thousands of accounts that were related to cannabis started going down.”

Green described Meta’s previous guidelines as “more relaxed” until the update.

Meta did not respond to requests for comment.

After Meta blocked visibility on one of CMS Gardens’ multiple Instagram accounts, the cultivator made a video poking fun at the social media platform’s practice.

In the video, a CMS employee stands in the company’s indoor grow room, but the plants are blurred out.

The employee talks about how Instagram has wiped out thousands of accounts related to “avocados” – a code word for cannabis.

Meta again issued new policies governing “restricted goods and services” on Dec. 23.

Earlier this year, the company issued new policies that expanded guidelines to include cannabis and cannabis-derived products, not simply marijuana.

According to the new policies, Meta-owned social media platforms including Facebook and Instagram will restrict visibility of cannabis content to adults ages 18 and up.

‘Shadow bans’

Rusty Wilenken, co-founder and CEO of California-based cannabis brand Old Pal, said his company’s social media accounts have been “shadow banned” many times over the years.

The practice of shadow banning often happens without businesses realizing their posts are being hidden from followers.

A shadow ban can last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, depending on the violation and how quickly the company addresses it.

“If you’re going to be a brand and have an Instagram and try to push content, it’s inevitable,” Wilenken said.

Going through the process of obtaining a Meta Verified blue checkmark can help keep businesses from violating the company’s policies regarding posts on cannabis because the Terms of Use outline what is required of users and include a section titled “Content Removal and Disabling or Terminating Your Account.”

For instance, if a social media post directs followers to purchase products at a specific business, it’s almost immediately flagged, Wilenken said.

“Overtly saying, ‘Go buy this here,’ is where we tend to bump into the most issues,” he said.

“Having that blue check mark makes it easier to understand what you can and can’t do and what’s causing issues.”

To get the blue checkmark, businesses must pay a $14.99 monthly subscription fee for one Facebook page, Instagram account or WhatsApp phone number.

Cannabis Instagram accounts deleted

Even non-plant-touching businesses are struggling to keep their accounts active.

Jocelyn Sheltraw, co-founder and CEO of California-based cannabis rating and review platform Budist, sought help from the LinkedIn community after Instagram deleted her business account.

“We don’t sell anything through the app,” Sheltraw said.

“Everything is education-focused – educating consumers on the nuances of the products.”

Sheltraw said Budist followed Meta’s rules regarding cannabis posts, so she was surprised the company’s account was suspended.

“This problem was one of the reasons we created Budist,” Sheltraw said.

“LinkedIn is much more cannabis-friendly, but even there we’re seeing shadow banning.”

Getting reinstated

Sheltraw was lucky – it took her only two days to get Budist’s account restored.

She said businesses that have had their accounts switched off have a few options.

They can go through the no-cost petitioning process or, for a fee, businesses can become Meta Verified on both Facebook and Instagram.

“You can go through your business account and petition, but if you’re not blue check-verified, you can’t get through to customer support,” Sheltraw said.

The executive said she’s heard of brokers capitalizing on the policy, charging anywhere from $2,000 to $6,000 to help companies get their pages reactivated.

“Many of the biggest cannabis companies have taken that path,” she said.

Regulated companies

Sasha Nutgent, vice president of retail cannabis at Housing Works Cannabis Co. in New York, said Instagram sent a vague message notifying the company that its account was being suspended for selling marijuana illegally.

“That’s not the case; we make sure what we post is within the guidelines and not offering cannabis for sale,” said Nutgent, whose company is licensed for retail sales by the state.

“We’ve definitely based everything around community and education.

“Such a major part of our business is on Instagram and social media, so it’s interfering with our engagement.”

Nutgent said the company posts daily on Instagram stories and weekly on its main Instagram account, which has about 11,000 followers.

After Housing Works Cannabis Co. was shadow banned, Nutgent has noticed a drop in engagement on the company’s social media accounts.

“We are using other means to interact with our customers – our CRM (customer relationship management) platform – but social media is immediate, and that’s a big part of our business,” she said.

Psychedelics targeted

It’s not just the cannabis industry that’s being targeted.

Ifetayo Harvey, founder of People of Color Psychedelic Collective in New York, said that between 2017 and 2021 – before the organization’s account was shadow banned – it received high engagement from its 10,000 social media followers.

“Now, our posts barely show to our followers,” she said.

“It’s rare for any of our posts to get over 100 likes.”

To get around shadow bans, the nonprofit group has been using code words or inserting characters such as asterisks or emojis instead of spelling out psychedelics.

The group also is investing more in its website and communications strategy rather than spending money to get verified.

“This affects our ability to do advocacy work, fundraise and further our mission,” Harvey said.

“We’re divesting from these platforms and investing in properties we own like our website and email list.”

By Margaret Jackson