Social media platforms take action against doctors in the medical cannabis sector

Healthcare professionals are starting to denounce the harsh actions taken social media against anyone who shares information related to cannabis on their platforms. Doctors and journalists reported such actions that have cost them thousands of viewers and hours of material lost after their account were suspended after sharing information about medical cannabis and marketing events related to the plant.

Doctors, journalists and businessmen in the medical cannabis sector had accounts from major social networks blocked, in what it seems to be, according to some of the victims, an orchestrated attack against anyone who promotes the use of cannabis for medical purposes.

According to the reports, the major social media services are applying sanctions to users who post informative articles or promote the use of the plant, among the sites that are involved in this issue are: YouTube, Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter and Instagram. 

Pernambuco psychiatrist Ana Hounie, 49, known in São Paulo for prescribing cannabis in specific cases like Tourette’s Syndrome. The neuropsychiatric disorder causes multiple motor or vocal tics, of varying intensity and frequency. She is one of the latest healthcare profressionals that has suffered from the latest action the social media sites have taken.

If you want to know more about cannabis, how doctors in Brazil are denouncing the harsh actions social media companies are taking against them for posting cannabis information, and to find out the latest cannabis news, download the Hemp.im mobile application.

Doctors lost 20 years of material due to YouTube actions

Hounie used to post on YouTube everything related to her specialty. Classes, seminars, patient cases and videos directed to the segment. Last Tuesday (1), however, the doctor’s account was blocked by the channel, after posting some information about cannabis.

“I was suspended and lost access to material from 20 years of work. I lost the right to have a YouTube account, but I don’t know why”, says Hounie, who had 1,700 followers. She received a message from the channel saying that the blockade was ‘due to severe violations’ of community guidelines.

Hounie wrote an email questioning what YouTube considered a violation. “I wanted to know exactly what was the inappropriate content responsible for the ban, but I received no clarification. At the very least, I wanted to have access to my material. I don’t have a lot of back-ups”.

Doctors in Brazil denounce the severe actions taken by social media

Furthermore, Hounie realized that she was not the only one in this situation. Doctors, businessmen and even professionals in the communication area have all been affected. Such as the case of journalist Marcus Bruno, from the website Cannabis & Health. He had his Twitter account blocked, where he already had more than 5,000 followers.

Like the doctor, at first Bruno also thought it was a one-off case. However he now says “I am beginning to think it was an orchestrated action. I made several posts replying to the project’s opponents”, says Bruno referring to the PL that proposes the cultivation of medical Cannabis and industrial hemp presented in the Chamber of Deputies in August.

Finally, Medical doctor Janaina Barboza, a specialist in orthomolecular medicine and an enthusiast of cannabis treatment, lost her WhatsApp account. She warned friends and relatives about what happened through a statement on Instagram, asking them to take her number from the groups where she was inserted. According to her: “Now it’s the system that owns it. It’s not a coincidence”.

__

(Featured image by Austin Distel via Unsplash)

DISCLAIMER: This article was written by a third party contributor and does not reflect the opinion of Hemp.im, its management, staff or its associates. Please review our disclaimer for more information.

This article may include forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words “believe,” “project,” “estimate,” “become,” “plan,” “will,” and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks as well as uncertainties, including those discussed in the following cautionary statements and elsewhere in this article and on this site. Although the Company may believe that its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, the actual results that the Company may achieve may differ materially from any forward-looking statements, which reflect the opinions of the management of the Company only as of the date hereof. Additionally, please make sure to read these important disclosures.

First published in Folha De S.Paulo, a third-party contributor translated and adapted the article from the original. In case of discrepancy, the original will prevail.

Although we made reasonable efforts to provide accurate translations, some parts may be incorrect. Hemp.im assumes no responsibility for errors, omissions or ambiguities in the translations provided on this website. Any person or entity relying on translated content does so at their own risk. Hemp.im is not responsible for losses caused by such reliance on the accuracy or reliability of translated information. If you wish to report an error or inaccuracy in the translation, we encourage you to contact us.