Brazil Confronts Meta Over Mass Blocking of Medical Cannabis Accounts

Meta, the owner of Instagram and Facebook, is once again facing accusations of censorship. This time, it’s related to the mass blocking of medical cannabis accounts in Brazil. Nearly 50 profiles disappeared over the course of a single weekend. These included accounts of patient associations, doctors, influencers, and the organizers of the Hemp March.

The lockdowns came without any warning or explanation. In response to this chaos, the Brazilian government decided to take a harsh stance.

Massive Account Suspensions: Brazilian Government Responds

The leading voice of opposition was Paulo Teixeira, Brazil’s Minister of Agrarian Development. He called Meta’s actions “arbitrary.” The matter gained traction when Congressman Eduardo Suplicy informed the minister about the blockades.

Minister Teixeira didn’t engage in diplomacy. He personally contacted Vanderlei Mariz. Mariz is Meta’s head of public policy in Brazil. The minister’s message was clear: “If the censorship is coming solely from Meta, I demand the immediate reactivation of these accounts.”

Teixeira threatened legal action if the removals were not substantiated by a court order. He emphasized that the absence of these accounts harms thousands of Brazilian patients who use them to seek essential information about treatment and alternative therapies.

Meta Explanation? “Algorithm Error”

How did the tech giant respond? According to Agência Pública, Meta admitted there was no court order justifying the lockdowns.

The company’s official explanation was an “algorithm error.”

Meta promised to manually review all cases. Following government intervention, 20 suspended accounts were reinstated. However, the company did not explain why they were banned in the first place. Many profiles remain offline.

The stakes are higher than coverage. It’s about patient health.

This isn’t just a matter of lost reach or hours of work invested in building a community. We’re talking about a real barrier to accessing medical and educational information.

When activists and doctors can’t share knowledge, patients lose access to resources. They can’t find guidance on treatments that can improve their quality of life.

Lawyers: Meta may violate the constitution

Clayton Medeiros, a digital rights lawyer, called these actions a “deficiency of service.”

According to him, such suspensions violate fundamental constitutional principles, including the right to a fair trial, the right to defense, and the right to information.

Experts also point out that Meta’s actions may violate rulings of Brazil’s Supreme Court. Back in 2011, the court upheld the constitutionality of public debates and demonstrations in favor of legalization.

Brazil legalizes, Meta censors

The case is all the more striking because it comes at a time when Brazil is making significant progress in regulating medical cannabis.

There are currently over 670,000 registered patients in the country. Thousands of doctors are licensed to prescribe cannabis-based therapies. Judges in various states are increasingly allowing patient associations and families to cultivate cannabis for therapeutic purposes.

Meanwhile, the state agency ANVISA (National Health Surveillance Agency) is moving slowly and has yet to establish a comprehensive legal framework. It’s clear that changes are being driven from the bottom up – by patients and the courts.

Society is also changing. Recent polls show that 66% of Brazilians support the legalization of cannabis for medical purposes.

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(Featured image by Shutter Speed via Unsplash)

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