Last Monday I logged into Instagram like any other, but what I found left my stomach in knots. Instagram deleted Western Cultured‘s account without any explanation. Moreover, the app glitched up making it impossible to file an appeal.
After serious tears and a coffee run, I pulled it together to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. I’m writing this blog because I’ve yet to hear from Instagram and believe they should respect states’ rights to #LetUsGrow.
Western Cultured is a branding company for a legally recognized i502 recreational cannabis producer in Washington State. Our page featured legally grown cannabis plants, adults 21+ and included a disclaimer. All content on our page is owned by Western Cultured (and produced by moi). We did not use our page to sell cannabis, promote underage smoking or irresponsible cannabis use.
Instagram has picked favorites and chosen to delete some pages, while keeping others. (Side note: we love all cannabis pages and don’t want any others removed!) The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board even recommended we create the Western Cultured brand to avoid conflicts like this.
Alas, Instagram ignores states rights, and they’ve written it into their terms. “Buying or selling illegal drugs (even if it’s legal in your region), as well as promoting recreational drug use, is not allowed.”
Facebook-owned Instagram is a progressive, open-minded company, which is why I’m baffled at their decision to censor pages that promote cannabis. Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia have laws legalizing marijuana in some form. Four states plus DC have legalized it for recreational use. Recreational cannabis is a multi-billion dollar industry and Washington State alone generated over $100 million in tax revenue since i502’s inception.
The time and effort of the last six months, to not only gain followers but build relationships, has been stolen from me. Poof. Vanished into cyberspace. Instagram isn’t just about photos and likes, it’s about sharing moments and building brands. With time, recreational cannabis brands will parallel those like Budweiser, Coca-Cola or Marlboro. We are on the ground floor of a budding industry, which is why platforms like Instagram are so vital to establishing our brand.
It’s uncertain why our page was targeted. We didn’t have nearly the followers of other accounts (although a 1:13 ratio is dang good!) and an organic High Times repost resulted in major page growth. Coincidentally, the night before our page deletion, I privately IG messaged a friend about my job and suggested he check out our page. Is Instagram using algorithms to monitor chats? I don’t know. Some speculate industry competition reported our page, which I hope isn’t true (hello, bad karma). If it is, we’re doing something right, and we’ll be back with a vengeance.
For now, it feels like a bad breakup. Every day I check our page, hopeful it’s been reactivated. My heart needs time to heal (AKA I’m waiting on that BBB complaint) and with time I might create a new account, but nothing will compare to @westerncultured. I’m always one to light up the moment, but for now, the flame of my creativity has been put out.
I’m looking at you Mark Zuckerberg.
p.s. If anyone has a contact at Facebook or Instagram, please message me ASAP.
♥ BB
