ORGANIZATIONS AROUND THE WORLD CALL ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM PARENT COMPANY META TO STOP CENSORSHIP OF CANNABIS, PSYCHEDELIC, AND HARM REDUCTION-RELATED CONTENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Gina Giorgio
Director of Strategy and Development
Students for Sensible Drug Policy
gina@ssdp.org
ORGANIZATIONS AROUND THE WORLD CALL ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM PARENT COMPANY META TO STOP CENSORSHIP OF CANNABIS, PSYCHEDELIC, AND HARM REDUCTION-RELATED CONTENT
The Open Letter to Meta published by Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP)—the largest youth-led network focused on ending the War on Drugs—decries “digital marginalization” of evidence-based education, public health initiatives, and advocacy, and calls for policy reform, transparency, and dialogue.
[Washington, DC, June 16, 2025] — A global list of close to 100 organizations—including advocacy groups, public health experts, harm reductionists, and licensed professionals—has released an open letter calling on Meta Platforms, Inc. to end its ongoing censorship of content related to cannabis, psychedelics, and harm reduction. The letter was coordinated by Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) and has been signed by leading organizations including Drug Policy Alliance, Marijuana Policy Project, NORML, Harm Reduction International, and dozens of others spanning the U.S., Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia.
The letter, addressed to Meta’s leadership and content moderation teams, raises alarm about the disproportionate deplatforming, shadowbanning, and removal of content from individuals and organizations working to share evidence-based education, advance public health, and promote legal and policy reform. Many of these accounts, which include nonprofits, licensed practitioners, and legal businesses, have operated in full compliance with local laws but face repeated content suppression with little transparency or recourse.
“SSDP alerted Meta to the significant problems surrounding the censorship of vital information about overdose prevention, policy advocacy, and public health in a meeting over a year ago. We are continuing to see members of our community be deprived of access to online fundraising tools and digital advertising, be denied the opportunity to livestream panels and other events, have their posts about science, health, and public policy be artificially limited in reach, and even lose access to accounts they have invested years into building up,” said SSDP Executive Director Kat Murti. “In our modern society, individuals around the world rely upon Facebook, Instagram, and similar platforms for information. Meta’s decision to limit the ability of nonprofits and legal businesses to use these tools to discuss cannabis, psychedelics, and harm reduction is not made in a vacuum. By censoring our voices—and encouraging self-censorship among those who work in these spaces—Meta is making a political choice to support drug war policies that have torn apart communities, disenfranchised and imprisoned thousands, and resulted in millions of deaths.”
The group notes that cannabis and psychedelic-related content, as well as public health information about drug checking and lifesaving naloxone, is backed by education, research, and blossoming legislative reform, yet Meta’s moderation policies fail to distinguish between illegal activity and legal, evidence-based content meant to educate and support communities.
“So many groups we work with have been flagged for promoting get out the vote efforts, policy panels and events, information about preventing opioid overdoses, and more,” said Murti. “SSDP has faced these same challenges with our own accounts repeatedly, greatly limiting our ability to reach our audience and hobbling our efforts to reduce harmful drug use and promote necessary policy change.”
At a time when overdose deaths are a continued concern and mental health crises are accelerating, it is vital that evidence-based, life-saving information is not censored. Harm reduction and drug education save lives. Cannabis and psychedelic therapies are supported by rigorous scientific research and show promise for conditions ranging from PTSD to depression to addiction. These are not fringe topics, but crucial conversations impacting the health and wellbeing of our community.
“This suppression is not merely an inconvenience; it is a form of digital marginalization,” said gina vensel, a communications and events professional in the plant medicine space and a member of SSDP’s Board of Directors.
Requested Changes to Meta’s Content Moderation Policies
Stating that, “Meta’s platforms are among the most powerful communication tools in human history. With that power comes significant responsibility,“ the letter calls on Meta to make four specific reforms:
- End discriminatory bans and shadowbans on accounts related to cannabis, psychedelics, and harm reduction when they operate within legal guidelines.
- Establish clear, transparent, and consistent content policies that distinguish between promotion of the sale of illegal substances and legitimate drug education and advocacy.
- Create a dedicated appeals and accountability process specific to drug-related content that includes community stakeholders and subject-matter experts.
- Engage in regular dialogue with the psychedelic, cannabis, and harm reduction communities to better understand our work and co-create equitable guidelines for content moderation.
A Growing Movement
Many of the signatory organizations will be present in Denver from June 16–20 for Psychedelic Science 2025, the world’s largest conference on psychedelic medicine, policy, and culture—offering an opportunity for meaningful, in-person dialogue about the harms of digital censorship and the future of evidence-based drug policy.
While the initial letter was signed by close to 100 organizations, companies and organizations interested in joining as a cosigner can still do so by submitting their information to SSDP via an online form.
Individuals—including students, educators, researchers, advocates, entrepreneurs, and community leaders working at the forefront of drug policy reform, harm reduction, and public health—who are deeply concerned by Meta’s ongoing and disproportionate censorship of content related to cannabis, psychedelics, and harm reduction can join the call for change by signing an online petition as the movement for transparency and equitable content moderation grows.
With chapters and ambassadors on campuses and in communities across the country, Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) is the largest youth-led network dedicated to ending the War on Drugs. Our national staff, Board of Directors, chapters, and alumni work together to replace the disastrous War on Drugs with policies rooted in evidence, compassion, and human rights, at a grassroots level.
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For more information, please visit ssdp.org/blog/stop-meta-censorship.
