After months of debating, Facebook’s internal policy team elects to keep a global ban on promoting Cannabis sales or selling it outright.
At its bi-weekly product policy meeting in Menlo Park California, 60 people from their staff in Ireland, Washington D.C., Kenya, and Los Angeles talked over the pros and cons of allowing cannabis sales on their platform.
Facebook currently bans any mentions or displays of Cannabis brands that attempt to sell, trade or barter the drug, which is legal for recreational use in Canada and some states, though it is prohibited by the U.S. federal government.
However, the current policy allows for the promotion, purchase, and sale of hemp or Cannabidiol (CBD), but any product containing THC is strictly off limits.
Facebook current Drug & Drug-Related product policy states that ads must not promote the sale or use of illegal, prescription, or recreational drugs.
- Avoid using images of smoking-related accessories (like bongs and rolling papers)
- Avoid using images of either recreational or medical marijuana.
- Avoid using images that imply the use of a recreational drug
In the end, Facebook executives and staff determined that because Cannabis laws around the world vary widely and are unstable, it would be impossible to roll out a practical global policy on pot sales.
The company also said that, partially because of regulatory uncertainty, it would be “operationally difficult” to implement policies — for example, determining who is a legitimate operator and who is not, across hundreds of jurisdictions.
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