Businesses use social media as a main source of advertising to promote their products and services. However, for certain types of businesses, advertising on social media isn’t so clear-cut.
Cannabis companies, in particular, have some murky waters to navigate when it comes to posting marijuana-related content on their pages and ads. Even personal social media pages might need to be careful about smoking weed and posting other content portraying cannabis in some way.
So, where do the various social media platforms stand in terms of marijuana use and its depiction on business and personal profiles?
Can You Smoke Weed on TikTok?
TikTok imposes restrictions on all forms of weed, regardless of the cannabis laws where a content creator lives. Even if the content provided is strictly for informational purposes, the social media platform won’t allow it.
Specifically, TikTok’s community guidelines stipulate that any content showing, promoting, or consuming drugs is strictly prohibited. Even though cannabis extends far beyond recreational use, the video hosting service forbids any content surrounding it and uses artificial intelligence (AI) to scan user accounts for it.
Consequences
Shadow ban: TikTok can make it difficult for TikTok users to reach their followers by shadow banning pages. Posts may be heavily restricted, hidden, and end up very low in search results. TikTok content creators may not even realize they are being shadow banned, as no notifications are sent out.
Post deleted: Posts that violate TikTok’s guidelines may be deleted altogether, including posts that depict cannabis in any way.
Account deleted: The most severe consequence of creating cannabis content on TikTok is account deletion. This is a last resort and typically occurs after several infractions. Once a TikTok profile is deleted, it cannot be retrieved.
Are There Ways To Bypass These Rules?
Despite TikTok’s strict rules governing cannabis, there are some ways to sidestep the platform’s algorithm, though it can be very tricky. Even disguising cannabis in a photo or video can still flag TikTok’s algorithm. AI software is extremely sophisticated and can distinguish cannabis from other items that may look very similar.
Perhaps the best way to work around these stringent restrictions is to use hashtags that are somewhat camouflaged. For instance, rather than spelling out #cannabis, one could use the hashtag #cannabiz. Or, #w33d could be a substitute for #weed. TikTok users will easily understand what these hashtags mean without flagging the platform’s algorithm.
Our Take
You might think there’s no point in putting anything weed-related on your TikTok pages. But there are actually several pages with cannabis content that have managed to see some success with dozens of views on various posts depicting things like THC beverages, grinder spoons, and even a massive inflatable joint.
These pages aren’t just for kids, either. In fact, TikTok appears to be more popular among adults. According to a recent study, over 71% of TikTok users are within the 18 to 34 age range, comprising nearly 750 million TikTokers across the globe. Anyone considering putting out informational content on weed shouldn’t write this social media platform off. There may be some wiggle room for this type of content here.
Can You Smoke Weed on Twitch?
Smoking weed while streaming is allowed on Twitch, as long as weed is legal where you live. The Amazon-owned gaming and entertainment streaming platform recently updated its username policy that now permits cannabis-based usernames. However, references to hard drugs and drug abuse are still outlawed on the site.
There’s been a steady rise in the number of streamers who dedicate a lot of their content to cannabis. Users affiliated with a medical cannabis company in California, are seeing lots of engagement on their profiles from people interested in cannabis life.
Consequences
Violations of Twitch’s standard guidelines surrounding usernames will require a username reset. Twitch initially assumes that a violation is simply the result of an unintentional mistake, and as such, the company will mandate a reset. However, repeated violations of the username policy could eventually lead to more severe consequences, including an indefinite suspension.
While harmless cannabis references in usernames are allowed, any references to substances considered hard drugs are not and will require a reset.
Are There Ways To Bypass These Rules?
Avoiding repercussions for the use of taboo terms in usernames on Twitch is easy enough: just avoid anything considered to be classified under the “hard drug” umbrella. Terms like weed, cannabis, marijuana, stoner, and other related terms should be fine.
Our Take
Anyone looking to post video content on weed may find Twitch pretty easy to navigate. With its relatively lax rules surrounding weed compared to other platforms like TikTok, Twitch may be an attractive social media platform to consider
Twitch currently has about 140 million monthly active users, and 7.6 million users stream on the platform every month.
Not surprisingly, more than two-thirds of Twitch users are under the age of 35, with only 3% aged 55 or more. That said, 32% of users are between the ages of 25 to 34 years, so the site isn’t necessarily geared towards the youth. Given this, content geared towards cannabis may be more appropriate on a site like Twitch, where a decent share of users are adults.
Can You Smoke Weed on Instagram?
Instagram is a tricky site to meander when it comes to weed content. While there are plenty of marijuana-based profiles, the site seems to be temperamental when it comes to cannabis information.
According to its community guidelines, Instagram doesn’t permit the advertisement or selling of marijuana, no matter what the legal situation is like in the user’s location. However, it does permit people to include a link to a weed-based website in their bio.
Instagram’s reasons for banning the promotion and sales of weed comes down to keeping its community safe, considering the number of younger users. However, Instagram’s user profiles seem to suggest that the share of adult users far outweighs younger people.
According to Statista, only 8% of Instagram users are between the ages of 13 to 17 years. Just under one-third of users are between 18 to 24 years of age, and another third are between 25 and 34 years old.
Many cannabis companies have found it difficult to deal with weed content rules on Instagram and claim that even content that’s not related to the sale or promotion of cannabis products gets flagged. This makes it difficult for companies to predict how content will be viewed by the social media platform.
Consequences
Instagram uses a mix of both AI and humans to moderate the platform for violations. Anyone found in breach of the policy can have their accounts flagged, deactivated, or deleted altogether.
Are There Ways To Bypass These Rules?
To avoid consequences, Instagram account users with cannabis-based content may want to steer clear of any promotions that expressly advertises the sale of cannabis products. Users should also be careful when choosing their usernames and using hashtags, and might want to be a little more creative with these terms.
Avoid posting images of the cannabis plant itself, and consider educational content, as Instagram tends to favor profiles that provide informational content.
Our Take
It seems that Instagram can be finicky when it comes to weed content. That said, there are still plenty of cannabis-based user profiles that are seeing great success on the platform.
Can You Smoke Weed on Twitter?
Since Elon Musk took over Twitter, it seems that the rules for the social media platform have relaxed across the board, including its ads policy. Twitter recently updated its cannabis ads policy, which allows marijuana advertisements to run on the platform in places where cannabis is legal, including various states across the US and Canada.
In fact, Twitter is now the first major social media platform to allow marijuana ads, despite federal laws in the US still outlawing cannabis.
Twitter is filled with fun and informative content. Users tweet about weed in various ways, including their experiences using cannabis for wellness, medicinal, or recreational purposes. Users are also free to advertise cannabis companies and products.
However, marijuana is where Twitter draws the line, as the social media platform does not permit any depictions of hard drug use.
In order for users to advertise on Twitter without breaking any rules, advertisers must first get authorization from Twitter and be licensed by local authorities. Further, advertisers cannot target consumers under 21 years of age.
Before Musk’s rule relaxing, companies that sell CBD topical products were the only ones permitted to advertise on Twitter in the US. But now, companies that sell THC and other cannabis-related products are expected to benefit from these changes.
Considering Twitter’s relaxed stance on weed compared to other social media platforms, hashtags can include all sorts of weed-relevant content, including the basics like #marijuana, #cannabis, and #weed. Unsurprisingly, using these hashtags can boost business growth exponentially.
Consequences
One would have to go out of their way to breach Twitter’s rules surrounding cannabis content. That said, there are still policies to follow, and users caught breaking the rules can be faced with consequences that include limited tweet visibility. This would simultaneously negatively affect both user experience and Twitter profiles.
Are There Ways To Bypass These Rules?
As long as Twitter advertisers don’t blatantly advertise the use of hard drugs, Twitter’s platform is a relatively open space for cannabis content.
Our Take
Twitter is probably one of the best social media platforms for weed enthusiasts.
Can You Smoke Weed on Facebook?
Facebook is owned by Meta Platforms, the same parent company that owns Instagram. So, Facebook’s rules surrounding the promotion and sales of marijuana are relatively the same.
According to Meta’s Transparency Center, advertisements cannot contain any content that promotes or offers cannabis products containing psychoactive components for sale. That includes anything with THC, the mind-altering compound in marijuana. However, Meta takes its rules a step further with CBD, prohibiting anyone from promoting or selling any cannabis products with this non-psychoactive component.
Even personal pages are instructed not to post images that depict the use of recreational substances nor include smoking-related paraphernalia, such as rolling papers and bongs.
Consequences
Facebook will flag and remove any images or videos that are deemed to be in violation of Meta’s rules surrounding cannabis, and action will be taken even before these images reach target audiences.
Are There Ways To Bypass These Rules?
It can be tough to deal with advertising cannabis on Facebook as it continues to be illegal on a federal level. Pages can easily and accidentally violate the rules and be flagged without the user even realizing it.
With a current advertising audience of 2.989 billion monthly active users as of April 2023, it would be painful for cannabis companies to dismiss the use of Facebook to reach their client base. Luckily, there are some ways to circumvent these tough rules on Facebook.
For starters, Facebook users should focus on brand awareness to build a follower base rather than posting cannabis products for sale, which could be flagged. Cannabis companies should also place some emphasis on education in the world of cannabis by including things such as informative articles or infographics. Ultimately, users should be careful about posting images of cannabis when it comes to ads, as the social media giant could take them down before even one potential person sees it.
Our Take
Facebook is pretty tight when it comes to cannabis. Companies should be especially careful about posting ads that clearly depict cannabis products, including those without THC. Even personal pages can be hit hard for posting use of marijuana, so tread lightly here.
Final Thoughts
The rules around posting cannabis-related content on social media depend on the platform. While Twitter might be lenient, others, like TikTok, tend to be a lot stricter.
For cannabis companies who are looking to expand their customer base, it’s important to assess the end goal and who the target audience is. The same ads won’t work the same way across the board, so it’s recommended to tailor each one accordingly. For personal pages, depicting the use of marijuana can have similar consequences if the rules aren’t followed, though the repercussions may not have the same sting as they would for companies looking to earn a profit.
