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Despite growing acceptance of cannabis, many state-regulated marijuana businesses say their social media pages are being hidden, engagement is being throttled and – in some cases – accounts are being shut down.

Because most states restrict marijuana ads from television, radio and print media, licensed operators have turned to social media platforms such as Instagram, owned by Meta, to spread their messages.

"Meta updated its terms and conditions about two weeks ago," said John Greene, co-owner of Rhode Island cannabis cultivator CMS Gardens.

"As soon as that email was sent to Meta users, thousands of accounts that were related to cannabis started going down."

Green described Meta's previous guidelines as "more relaxed" until the update.

Rusty Wilenken, co-founder and CEO of California-based cannabis brand Old Pal, said his company's social media accounts have been "shadow banned" many times over the years.

The practice of shadow banning often happens without businesses realizing their posts are being hidden from followers.

A shadow ban can last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, depending on the violation and how quickly the company addresses it.

"If you're going to be a brand and have an Instagram and try to push content, it's inevitable," Wilenken said. Read story >

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• Farm Bill protections remain for hemp amid federal budget chaos. Read story >
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Weekly roundup of MJBizDaily's most-viewed stories

F I N A N C E

No MJ banking protections from current Congress

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The current session of Congress is poised to end without any progress on major marijuana reform measures, including banking protections.

With Congress needing to pass a spending bill by the end of the week to avoid a partial government shutdown, a budget proposal was unveiled that included disaster aid and cash for farmers.

But the plan offered nothing pertaining to the $32 billion state-regulated marijuana industry.

That inaction brought to fruition marijuana industry predictions to MJBizDaily in November "to not expect anything of the lame-duck" Congress this year. Read story >

C O M P L I A N C E

Nearly 70 Michigan MJ businesses fined for regulatory violations

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Sixty-seven licensed marijuana businesses in Michigan were fined for various regulatory violations in November.

The fines levied by the Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA) ranged from $333.33 to $19,000.

The highest fine was levied on Blue Fox Brands in Lansing for noncompliance with Metrc as well as surveillance and security violations. Read story >

E U R O P E 

Germany's adult-use pilots could benefit foreign operators

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Companies and scientific institutions could sell adult-use products in Germany under new legislation that allows these groups to seek licenses for cannabis pilot programs.

Industry observers said the pilot programs present opportunities for U.S., Canadian and other non-German companies.

Entities applying for a cannabis pilot program license must get approval from the German municipality where operations would take place, and the pilot program must have an experimental or scientific component, such as collecting data about marijuana use and outcomes.

The pilot programs would need to get final approval from the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL). Read story >

N E W   M A R K E T S

Ohio adult-use program was only new cannabis market launch in 2024 

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2024 will go down as one of the quietest years for marijuana market launches.

The debut of Ohio's adult-use retail market on Aug. 6 is the lone standout, in contrast to perennial market expansion that's been a bedrock of the industry for more than a decade.

Last year, by comparison, three states in the Northeast and Midwest launched recreational marijuana sales, while two in the Deep South began medical cannabis sales.

The gap of nearly one year between recreational market launches is believed to be the industry's longest drought since the first wave of regulated, adult-use consumer access began in 2014. Read story >

L E G A L

New York marijuana regulators to ponder 'limit' on retail licenses

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Regulators in New York will consider imposing a "temporary" limit of 1,600 adult-use marijuana retailer licenses issued by the state.

That's the nonbinding suggestion sent to the state Cannabis Control Board by the Cannabis Advisory Board, which voted to approve the recommendation, CAB Chair Joseph Belluck confirmed to MJBizDaily.

The Cannabis Control Board would have to take further action for any limit to take effect.

The notion of limiting licenses at all is a new development bound to generate controversy in New York, where regulated adult-use sales are finally approaching the $1 billion-per-year mark after a rollout plagued by lawsuits and competition from the illicit market. Read story >

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R E S O U R C E S

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