Meta's Threads Directs Cannabis & Psychedelics Users To Rehab Help But Alcohol And Tobacco Are No Biggie

Launched Wednesday night by three former Facebook employees, the text-based social media platform Threads apparently doesn't care for cannabis or psychedelics and feels a need to protect users from them. 

Viewed as a “potential Twitter killer” and the source of the proposed cage fight between Twitter owner Elon Musk and Meta Platforms META CEO Mark Zuckerberg, 

Threads has soared in popularity with over 10 million downloads, beating ChatGPT's record for fastest to one million users. However, Marijuana Moment reported that Threads' drug content flagging system seems to be a bit off regarding the substances the app views as potentially problematic. 

If you search the words marijuana, psychedelics or fentanyl, you get a stern warning. “This May Be Associated with the Sale of Drugs. The sale, purchase, or trade of illicit drugs can cause harm to yourself and others and is illegal in most countries. If you or someone you know struggle with substance abuse, you can get help through confidential treatment referrals, prevention, and recovery support.”

Threads then provides users a “get help” option and encourages them to head over to the government’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) or suggests the user “see results anyway.”

Other drug terms that produce warnings include MDMA, peyote, Vicodin, Percocet, Adderall, Xanax, meth, heroin and DMT.

But Alcohol And Tobacco Are No Biggie

If you search for beer, cigarettes or liquor, no such advice is forthcoming. 

“Interestingly, the app doesn’t seem to have a filter that offers treatment resources when people search ‘cannabis’ or the psychedelic ‘ayahuasca.’ It’s not clear why they’re treated differently on the app, though cannabis can also refer to federally legal hemp, which may explain the distinction in that case,” observed Marijuana Moment correspondent Kyle Jaeger, winner of the first annual Benzinga Cannabis Award 2022 in the category of Cannabis Policy Reporter Of The Year.

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