The best place to find a weed dealer online? Instagram is still the leader when it comes to finding a cannabis plug

Since the advent of mainstream social media platforms, they have become the number one form of advertising for various brands. If your brand isn’t on social media, you probably don’t care about reaching a wide audience. With an audience stretching beyond the reach of television and newspapers, all that matters is on social media, including illicit cannabis dealers.

You shouldn’t be too shocked that illegal weed traders are thriving on social media. This is despite repeated efforts by these social media platforms regarding illegal activities on their platforms. While it is important to note that these platforms have conscious systems in place to find these perpetrators, the obvious loopholes cannot be avoided. These loopholes are actively exploited by such perpetrators and they continue to enjoy the dividends of a wide audience to carry out their activities.

The digital world has always been a problem for lawmakers looking to put physical systems in place to deal with physical issues like the illicit cannabis trade. An example of this is the recent granting of licenses by the Empire State just a week ago. A total of 32 conditional licenses for adult use have been issued with the aim of regulating the cannabis industry. These physical steps are being taken to curb the activities of illegal cannabis dealers using regulations similar to those in states with legal programs. However, the desired effect is still a long way off, as some traders find their way around the digital world without any problems. This makes the digital space another battleground to fight against the proliferation of these systems.

A Bloomberg report recently revealed that a large proportion of the illicit cannabis sales taking place in New York take place via meta-platforms, with Instagram being the most heavily exploited. Instagram has always been a special platform when it comes to advertising products and services. The interactive area allows for accurate use of videos and images to promote products and weed vendors also intervene. The platform has seen a huge influx of illegal cannabis traffickers targeting young people, and the trend doesn’t look like it’s stopping anytime soon.

A New York cannabis grower recently told Bloomberg that he was able to reach more people to buy weed on Instagram. He believes this is because Meta is very good at fitting into people’s lives. It’s worth noting now that Mike has yet to receive his license to sell weed from the state. Nonetheless, it thrives on Instagram due to loopholes that allow illegal cannabis traffickers to thrive.

A quick survey of Instagram by Bloomberg News revealed many sponsored posts and stories involving cannabis growers, sellers and clubs. Finally, some of these posts refer to illegal cannabis sellers posing as legal cannabis dealers and taking advantage of unsuspecting customers. Bloomberg News shared some of its findings with Meta, and they have promised to remove some pages for violating their guidelines. Unfortunately, these posts remain online and accessible, meaning they continue to misinform the public with no action being taken.

Meta maintains its position that marijuana content is not allowed on Instagram and that there are policies in place to monitor and curb it. It states that marijuana, along with tobacco and e-cigarettes, falls under the Restricted Goods Directive. These goods are identified and therefore content encouraging the purchase, sale, trade, donation or gift of these goods is restricted. Hemp products, on the other hand, are allowed, but with special restrictions, provided the THC content does not exceed 0.3 percent.

Rachel Hamrick, a spokeswoman for Meta, explained the steps Instagram is taking to curb these posts in an emailed statement. She explains that Instagram targets both ads and organic posts that violate these restricted goods policies. The body then removes such posts when found, and pages linked to them are either banned or shut down. This shows that the company is doing a lot to curb activity, but many cannabis companies are still finding their way around the guidelines.

Investigating how cannabis companies are circumventing the restrictions has uncovered a number of loopholes. Some cannabis companies have claimed they are circumventing regulations by issuing disclaimers that the products are not for sale. However, these sites are still linked to other external sites and phone numbers that can be reached for transactions.

Another common trait is that cannabis companies have multiple backup sites that are easily accessible. The purpose of these backup sites is that the companies use them to continue to reach their audience after the main site shuts down. These affiliated sites are also easily removed, but it remains just as easy for cannabis companies to open other accounts and re-engage their populace. These are just some of the common loopholes such cannabis companies exploit, making Instagram the go-to platform for illegal traders.

Instagram isn’t the only platform illegal weed sellers are currently maximizing to reach and sell to new and existing customers. Weed sellers have also shown that Telegram, Discord, Snapchat and newbies like WeedTube and Social Club are platforms to meet new customers. This shows that these social media platforms will easily proliferate if they don’t take action against illegal cannabis traffickers.

Instagram remains the top platform due to its strong young user base, which is the target of pot sellers. Statistics show that 35 percent of people between the ages of 18 and 25 used marijuana in 2020. This is more than any age group that has used cannabis, according to reports from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration. With 71 percent of people between the ages of 18 and 29 using Instagram, it’s understandable that every pot seller would want to advertise on Instagram.

META AND INSTAGRAM ABOUT CANNABIS, READ MORE…

IS FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM HOLDING BACK LEGALIZATION?