Twitter Propaganda Directs Marijuana Searches to Addiction Treatment in FDA Collaboration
By Therin Miller | Top Shelf News | Sept. 30, 2020
In a recent collaboration with the Federal Drug Administration Twitter is now displaying Addiction Treatment warnings when any user searches for "marijuana" and other keywords related to cannabis. Ironically, the social media platform has been lenient on such topics as marijuana and even pornography in the past doesn't show this warning for alcohol-related keywords.
If you go on to twitter right now and search for "marijuana" you'll immediately be met with a message that says "Help is available—if you or someone you know is struggling with substance use, you are not alone."
the drug agency involved with the program is the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). By promoting this message and treatment-related information and resources, Twitter is stopping relevant and positive news and information about cannabis from reaching the masses. Not only stopping the spread of positive information but also any legislation surrounding the legalization of cannabis.
Most will choose to ignore this propaganda and not pay any attention to it especially now that we know cannabis is nowhere near as addictive as the messages of old. Still, the bias that is apparent on Twitter when it comes to cannabis versus alcohol is something that just continues to perpetuate an old stigma that surrounds the industry. To get a good sense of the bias just search for anything to do with alcohol and get bombarded with alcohol brands everywhere trying to get you to your next drunken occasion.
Now that cannabis is more mainstream there are plenty of accounts where cannabis has helped individuals with different medical ailments yet WHO (World Health Organization) admittedly reports that there are more than three million deaths per year from alcohol abuse. The Drug Enforcement Administration reports that there have been no deaths of Marijuana overdoses so why the biased rhetoric?
Twitter can do what they wish to do but in doing so they should show equal information, news about the far worse effects of alcohol in contrast.
How about it, are you as a cannabis advocate mad that Twitter is stamping out the advocacy for a life changing and less harmful "drug"?