Social media and marijuana

Twitter’s transformation into X was big news, the global online chat room has been causing a stir ever since Elon Musk acquired the company for $44 billion. In February of this year, Twitter (now X) updated its advertising policies to allow cannabis advertising on the platform in states where cannabis is legal. A great win for the market and makes them a rarity. It seems that when it comes to growing the industry, social media and marijuana are ugh.

With 90% of the public agreeing with some form of legal cannabis, one would think that social media would have greater acceptance. But actually, marijuana falls into a similar category to alcohol at some of the biggest players.

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Here is a brief overview of the guidelines.

Meta (Facebook and Instagram)

Meta prohibits the promotion of cannabis, topical CBD, ingestible hemp products, and CBD products such as hemp seeds and ingestible CBD. However, Meta now allows limited advertising for CBD and hemp on apps like Facebook and Instagram for educational, advocacy, and public service awareness purposes.

Meta allows alcohol advertising under certain restrictions and strict guidelines.

Tick ​​tock

TikTok bans paid advertising for cannabis.

TikTok bans advertising of alcoholic beverages such as wine, beer, spirits, etc. They also prohibit advertising for alcohol clubs/subscription services, alcohol prep kits, and alcohol-sponsored events

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youtube

YouTube’s policies prohibit content that threatens the emotional and physical well-being of minors, including the promotion of products containing drugs, nicotine, or controlled substances. The YouTube guidelines also take into account the nature of the upload, such as whether it is educational, documentary, scientific or artistic in nature.

As of June 2021, YouTube will no longer accept masthead ads from certain industries, including alcohol.

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A study shows how cannabis is being promoted on social media apps and how this has opened up the market to people who don’t fit the typical stoner stereotype.

The study, published in Crime, Media, Culture: An International Journal, found that women have slowly slipped into the equation, disrupting the traditional notion of cannabis users. These women promote cannabis in different ways and incorporate it into their daily lives and activities.

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Using Instagram as their social media platform of choice, the researchers analyzed illegal sellers in Switzerland with “cannabis influencers” in the US and noted their differences. Researchers found that cannabis influencers are challenging what has long been considered attractive to cannabis markets, which could have global implications.

“Our results show that cannabis influencers on Instagram are changing the stereotypical characteristics of illicit cannabis culture, which is almost exclusively male-dominated, to portray cannabis as a desirable accessory in certain female lifestyles,” the study researchers write. These influencers presented cannabis as an activity that can be practiced by mothers, people who care about their physical and mental health, and more.

The study authors recognize that cannabis influencers on platforms like Instagram have had to get creative, considering the app prevents sales and censors content. In their posts, influencers make it clear that they don’t sell cannabis, they just support it, associating it with appealing imagery and a lifestyle that others are keen to emulate.

“When cannabis is marketed by legal influencers rather than illegal dealers, we note a shift in the use of symbols related to amateurism versus professionalism, intimacy, and lifestyle, and argue that these shifts are related to the influencers’ Perceive gender differently than salespeople do,” the researchers explain

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Marijuana use has evolved over the years, becoming less of a taboo subject and more something that can be openly discussed and consumed. In places where the drug is legal, it makes sense to always think of social media promotion as something that is just another activity to partake in.