What YouTube’s Cannabis Rules Mean to Dispensaries
- Posted by Richie Martin
- On June 14, 2018
- 0 Comments
In March 2018, YouTube surprised content creators with a major policy change on cannabis-related video content. People started to notice one by one, cannabis-related channels were being shut down. The reason: the channel’s content had been flagged for review and was found to violate YouTube’s guidelines.
The move, which came with no public notice from YouTube, has the cannabis community scrambling about what to do now. It comes as an abrupt pivot at a time when cannabis is gaining wider social acceptance. While cannabis remains federally illegal, only a small handful of states outlaw it in all forms.
The problem: YouTube’s guidelines are vague. Channels are being sent suspension or removal messages for no specific reason, only a generic list that it could be because they are promoting violence, illegal drug use, creating spam content, etc.
We have an idea that this new crackdown on cannabis content is because YouTube can’t make ad revenue from cannabis content. Most brands that advertise on YouTube don’t want their ads playing before cannabis content.
What this means to dispensaries and cannabis-related product channels is that you can lose all the movement you’ve made on YouTube. Even if the video content is educational in nature, it may be deemed inappropriate anyway.
There has been very little communication from YouTube about the new actions. Most media outlets are reporting that YouTube is not returning their communication for comment, so it’s hard to know what the next steps are for your cannabis brand on YouTube.
For now, it seems many content creators on YouTube are moving to mainly Instagram and the new social media kid on the block: The WeedTube.
The WeedTube
TheWeedTube.com, a community-created, cannabis-focused video site. YouTubers Arend Lenderink and Mackenzie “Macdizzle420” McCurry created this new video platform specifically for YouTubers who focus on cannabis content. The site that host video content focused on weed, free of scrutiny. The pre-launch crowdfunding campaign raised its goal of 6.5 thousand dollars in two weeks. In a 50 minute YouTube post about WeedTube, Lenderink explains from his couch that he intended to debut the site closer to 4/20, but concerns of YouTube deleting his channel rushed the beta launch. WeedTube went live in late March of 2018.
Will this be the best alternative to YouTube for the cannabis industry? That has yet to be seen, but we are encouraged that content creators like dispensaries and cannabis product producers have a second home in the social media world. To find other marijuana-friendly social media outlets, read 420 Friendly Social Media Networks.
If you’re looking for a robust way to ramp up your social media activity for your cannabis brand, our social media experts are available for consultations, and MMX has a wide range of marketing services ready to help grow your brand. Contact us today to schedule your consultation.
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