Facebook Nips Marijuana Legalization Ads In the Bud

Thumbnail image for potad.jpg
Facebook banned ads like these
Facebook may have unrivaled access to young, liberal voters, but the social networking site is now ensuring those potential supporters of pot legalization never see a marijuana leaf in political ads on the site. While critics are pulling out the online petitions and accusations of censorship, Facebook has not relented.

Facebook banned ads that featured the image of a marijuana leaf submitted by at least three groups: the Libertarian Party, the District of Columbia's Patient Cooperative, and Just Say Now, a political coalition advocating legalization of pot in states with ballot measures like California's Prop 19.

Just Say Now paid $5,000 for a week's worth of ads earlier this month before Facebook told the organization it could no longer feature the marijuana leaf, explaining the company doesn't allow ads that promote smoking. The group has now started an online petition to urge Facebook to reverse its ban: By censoring marijuana leaves, Facebook is banning political speech. This is unfair, and unacceptable," the petition's site reads.Facebook should reverse its decision and allow the free discussion of US drug policy that the country is ready for."

On Tuesday, Facebook slightly tweaked its message, saying it doesn't allow ads depicting "illegal content," according to the Los Angeles Times. But the fact that marijuana is currently illegal is kind of what the groups are fighting to change, right?

Facebook told the Times that it's only opposed to the image of the leaf, not the political message itself: "We'd like to reiterate that Just Say Now can promote their campaign and petition through Facebook Ads as long as they use another image," said Annie Ta, a Facebook spokeswoman.

Not good enough, say critics such as the Just Say Now advisory board member Bruce Fein. (He's also the former deputy attorney general under President Ronald Reagan, whose wife single-handedly ended the War on Drugs via her appearance on Diff'rent Strokes to promote the message of "Just Say No."):

"Facebook's concocted prissiness over political advocacy is more to be disparaged than imitated," says Fein. "Freedom of expression is made of sterner stuff. Google deserves applause for exposing Facebook to shame."

Follow us on Twitter at @TheSnitchSF and @SFWeekly

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