Twitter Removes Cannabis Warnings
Twitter has ended a federal partnership that presented users who searched for specific drug-related keywords, including "marijuana," with a recommendation to consider entering drug treatment.
Twitter has ended a federal partnership that presented users who searched for specific drug-related keywords, including "marijuana," with a recommendation to consider entering drug treatment.
Launched in 2020, the feature, founded in partnership with SAMHSA, the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, has been a source of conflict for advocates, who criticized the social media giant for suggesting any interest in cannabis points towards a potential substance misuse problem. For example, the feature did not differentiate between searches for policy news and products.
At some point this month, the feature was suspended without notice. It could be that the agreement between Twitter and SAMHSA expired or that it was removed at the request of the new owner Elon Musk.
Advocates flagged that Twitter chose to attach these notices to cannabis and other currently illegal drugs, allowing alcohol search results to be displayed without a similar warning.
It's entirely possible that SAMHSA proactively sought to end the partnership, considering that the HHS or Department of Health and Human Services, which the agency falls under, has been on Twitter recently discussing federal marijuana policy.
On the other hand, Musk has inserted himself into the 'legalize' debate on several occasions, including on Twitter. He got into trouble for puffing on a blunt during a podcast interview in 2018, later claiming he never inhaled it. This prompted a federal investigation into"workplace safety" and "adherence to a drug-free environment at his company SpaceX.
The following year, when shares of his other company, Telsa, hit $420, he responded on Twitter with laughing emojis. He said, "Whoa…the stock is so high, lol."
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