One of my favorite investigative journalists in the cannabis space is Amanda Chicago Lewis, who brings her heart and her mind into her work. Today, she took on social media giants Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) and Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) for their irrational advertising policies with respect to the cannabis industry.
We are all too familiar with the shutdowns by Facebook and Instagram that suddenly darken the sites of companies that operate state-legal cannabis businesses, but Lewis has discovered many examples of companies that don’t actually cultivate, process or sell cannabis that have seen their advertising restricted. Worse, some of these companies are not able to use social media to advertise the exact same products that big corporations, like Sears and Bed Bath and Beyond are able to promote. For example, MedTainer is not allowed to sell its products using AdWords, though others are. Similarly, a search for “weed grinder” shows some big-name companies that are selling products that smaller companies aren’t allowed to promote.
Lewis was able to actually get Facebook to address some of the many examples of issues she raised, but the Google AdWords issue won’t be easily fixed.
Read Amanda Chicago Lewis’ “Facebook And Google Cannabis Policy Enforcement Makes No Sense”: https://www.buzzfeed.com/amandachicagolewis/facebook-and-google-cannabis-policy-enforcement-makes-no-sen
