Facebook is ending its block on searches for Cannabis and Cannabis related products according to MarketWatch. With Canada fully legalizing Cannabis on October 17th, Facebook decided to treat Cannabis as a legal product and lift its ban on cannabis pages.
For years, Facebook did not allow Cannabis and related products to be advertised on their website. Even as legalization began passing from state to state, Facebook waited until very recently to approve ads.
A Shift in the Cannabis Industry is Taking Place
Those using Facebook globally can now search for Cannabis-related pages under the website’s gray and blue verification symbols using search terms like “cannabis” and “marijuana”.
Previously, people were able to find companies like the Marijuana Policy Project on Facebook, but only if they used search terms like “MMP”. It no longer needs to be discreet.
A spokeswoman for Facebook tells MarketWatch that internal systems have tailored results. Any efforts to support the sales of the drug would be reduced while Cannabis company pages whose authenticity has been verified will be included in the search results.
Facebook will vet companies by requesting their phone numbers, which will subsequently be verified by providing a four-digit code. This automated verification method is similar to how Google authenticates app downloads on its users’ cell phones.