For over a decade, Beard Bros Pharms has stood at the intersection of cannabis culture, education, and advocacy. Since the early 2010s, we’ve watched as the cannabis industry has matured from an underground movement to a multi-billion-dollar, job-generating legal industry. We’ve been a loud and proud part of that progress—spreading factual information, busting stigma, and building community.
But not everyone wants us to grow.
Meta has repeatedly shut us down, silenced our voice, and erased years of organic community-building without explanation, recourse, or reason. In 48 hours alone, we lost two Instagram accounts—one that we started in 2015 with 41,000 organic followers and another, our third-tier backup from 2022 with 3,000 followers. That came after losing our primary account in 2021, which we built from scratch starting in 2012. It had over 120,000 followers.
That’s 165,000 real, engaged, organic followers—gone. A digital legacy wiped out by artificial intelligence tools and opaque “community standards” that punish us for educating people about legal cannabis while others openly sling their wares on the same platform with zero consequences.
This isn’t just a problem for us—it’s a problem for society.
The Harsh Reality of Meta’s Community Standards
Meta’s so-called “community standards” are enforced by AI-driven moderation tools that are laughably ill-equipped to distinguish between harmful content and legitimate educational advocacy. These systems lack nuance. They operate with the subtlety of a sledgehammer and the cultural literacy of a caveman.
Here’s the truth: Cannabis is now legal in some form in 38 U.S. states. Additionally, medical marijuana programs are established and regulated in most of the country. Furthermore, state governments collect billions in cannabis tax revenue.
People also use cannabis to treat PTSD, epilepsy, cancer-related pain, anxiety, and dozens of other ailments. Despite these advancements, Meta’s systems still treat a fact-based post about cannabis terpenes the same way they would a street-corner drug deal.
The result? Shadow bans. Sudden suspensions. Deleted accounts. No warnings. No due process. No appeals. And no humanity.
We’ve been dealing with this since 2012, when our mission was still ahead of its time. But even now—when we’re finally seeing normalization and reform—Meta’s actions reflect a stubborn refusal to move forward. The company would rather clutch its outdated policies than align with what’s happening in the real world.
The Human Cost of Algorithmic Erasure
Social media isn’t just a tool for us—in fact, it’s a lifeline. Through our digital platforms, we not only educate the public but also engage our community. Moreover like to believe, we amplify the voices of patients, veterans, entrepreneurs, and everyday people whose lives have been positively transformed by cannabis.
Meta’s censorship doesn’t just harm brands—it harms people:
- Veterans who use cannabis to treat PTSD lose access to resources we’ve curated for years.
- Patients facing life-threatening conditions lose access to educational material that could change their lives.
- Small businesses and equity entrepreneurs in cannabis lose exposure, customers, and revenue.
- Activists working to reform unjust laws lose their platforms just when they’re needed most.
This is more than a brand getting booted off a platform. This is modern-day book burning—digitally erasing voices that challenge outdated norms. Meta isn’t just censoring cannabis; it’s censoring progress.
While we’re getting deplatformed for posting about legal cannabis products, this is a platform that lets trolls harass marginalized users, lets misinformation run rampant during elections, and allows deepfake porn to trend—but deems educational cannabis content as a “community threat.”
This hypocrisy isn’t just frustrating—it’s dangerous.
Why This Matters to Everyone
Censorship is never isolated. Today it’s cannabis. Tomorrow it’s free speech. Next week, it’s 2nd Amendment rights. The tools of control are built under the pretense of “safety” and “standards,” but they’re applied unequally and without accountability.
We’ve seen this playbook before. Governments and corporations suppress inconvenient truths. Movements are silenced in the name of order. And always—always—the people lose.
What’s worse, Meta’s enforcement disproportionately impacts marginalized communities. Black and brown creators in the cannabis space, already disproportionately affected by the War on Drugs, are often the first to be silenced and the last to be reinstated.
These individuals are working to reclaim their futures through legal businesses and advocacy; however, a platform that claims to support “community” continues to push them back into the shadows.
Meta Censorship Drives Fear Propaganda
Censorship like this isn’t just bad for cannabis—it’s bad for democracy.
Meta’s ongoing censorship of cannabis content on platforms like Facebook and Instagram echoes the fear-driven propaganda of the 1936 film Reefer Madness. This film, originally titled Tell Your Children, depicted marijuana use as leading to insanity, violence, and moral decay, serving as a tool to instill fear rather than inform.
In 2005, Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical and the 25th anniversary Los Angeles revival opened on May 30th, 2024, satirized the original film’s hysteria, highlighting the absurdity of past anti-cannabis sentiments. Despite such critiques, Meta’s current policies continue to suppress cannabis-related content, disregarding the plant’s legal status in many U.S. states and its recognized medicinal benefits.
This modern censorship not only stifles education and advocacy but also perpetuates outdated stigmas, hindering societal progress and public health initiatives. By silencing voices that aim to inform and support, Meta’s actions mirror the very fear-based tactics that Reefer Madness has come to symbolize.
It’s imperative for platforms like Meta to evolve beyond these antiquated standards; therefore, embracing policies that reflect current legal realities and support informed discourse on cannabis.
We’ve Had Enough
Beard Bros. Pharms has built a real community. Our followers didn’t come from bots or paid ads. They came because they believe in the plant, the people, and the purpose behind what we do.
And we’re not going anywhere.
Even though Meta has taken down:
- Our 2012 main account with 120k followers
- Our 2015 backup account with 41k followers
- Our 2022 backup to the backup with 3k followers
We will rebuild. And we will keep telling the truth.
We will continue to expose the double standards. We will continue to push for fair, informed, and inclusive cannabis content policies. And we will always stand with the people whose lives are better because of this plant.
What We’re Asking From Meta
We’re not asking for special treatment. We’re demanding equal treatment. If you can’t stop drug dealers from operating on your platform, then don’t act like our educational content is the problem.
Here’s what needs to happen:
- Update your Community Standards to reflect modern cannabis laws.
- Train your AI and moderation teams to differentiate between illegal sales and legal education.
- Create an appeal system that actually allows creators to defend themselves.
- Engage with cannabis stakeholders—real ones, not corporate shills—to shape a policy that serves users, not fear-mongers.
To our community: Thank you. Thank you for continuing to ride with us through every deletion, every shadowban, and every obstacle. However, this fight isn’t over, and with your help, we’re going to win.
To Meta: Your AI isn’t intelligent, your standards aren’t modern, and furthermore, your censorship is hurting the very communities you claim to empower.
Cannabis isn’t going anywhere. Neither are we.
#FreeThePlant
#FreeThePeople
#EndCannabisCensorship
We’re not just here to grow a brand. We’re here to grow a movement.
