Facebook has blocked a state representative’s post on medical marijuana for “promoting illegal drugs,” according to Facebook’s official rejection statement.
Republican Rep. Shamed Dogan of Missouri posted a response on May 4 to Facebook’s notice that his ad violated the social media site’s terms of service.
“We don’t allow ads that promote illegal drugs,” Facebook’s response stated.
“Just a couple days ago, Facebook rejected my attempt to ‘Boost’ a post I made on my campaign page,” the representative’s Facebook post stated, noting that it was just a “minor” issue. “According to Facebook, my ad promoted illegal drugs, presumably because I used the words ‘medical marijuana.'”
The post Dogan attempted to boost on May 1 reads like any other update from a lawmaker.
“Today was a big day for freedom in the Missouri House!” the post stated, then noted Dogan’s role in advancing two other pieces of legislation.
The post stated the Missouri House “passed a medical marijuana bill,” which about 80 percent of Dogan’s Facebook page’s followers supported. Dogan said he assumed the reason Facebook automatically rejected the boost came from a “stupid algorithm” that flagged the word “marijuana.”
“Facebook explicitly permits ads for the purpose of advocacy or awareness,” Dogan said. “If an ad by a legislator to promote a bill that passed doesn’t count as advocacy, what does?!”
Dogan “immediately appealed appealed the ad’s rejection.”
Facebook later apologized and allowed the ad.
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