Twitch, a video game streaming service, has updated its brand policy for streamers. It now prohibits the promotion of marijuana products and businesses while allowing explicit alcohol partnerships.
Amazon’s livestreaming hub has reversed its course on some aspects unrelated to the new branding policies that were rolled out last week, but it is still maintaining the ban on cannabis.
The policy on branded content covers sponsored gameplay, product placements and endorsements. It also includes branded channels, unboxings paid for, and paid sponsorships. In a list that prohibits branding deals, the company states that streamers are not allowed to be paid for promoting cannabis-related products such as vaping, CBD, or delivery.
The guidelines do make an exception in the case of alcohol. Streamers can be paid to promote alcohol as long as it is “marked as mature content.”
restrictions apply to all brands that include tobacco, adult content and medical facilities, as well as any branding involving weapons.
Marijuana Moment contacted Twitch to get a comment about the policy distinction. However, a representative wasn’t immediately available.
JimTanna is a streamer who noticed the discrepancy between Twitch’s alcohol and cannabis rules. He said that “everyone” was confused about the new update. According to him, it would make it harder for users to earn a living through the service.
Twitch clarified its rules last year in a manner that included cannabis — excluding marijuana-related references, just like it does with alcohol and tobacco.
Amazon, Twitch’s parent company, is also lobbying to support federal marijuana legalization legislation. The corporation has also implemented more progressive internal policies regarding marijuana drug testing .
As more states legalize cannabis and as the market grows, other technology companies are revising their policies.
Twitter, for example, has removed the feature which previously suggested to users searching on Twitter with certain drugs-related keywords , such as “marijuana,” that they should consider drug treatment. Such a suggestion did not appear for searches involving “alcohol”.
In an update to Apple’s iPhone software that was instituted last year, users were given an option to track medications and learn about possible drug interactions with other substances–including marijuana.
Apple will end its policy in 2021 that restricted cannabis companies’ ability to conduct business through its App Store. Eaze, a marijuana delivery service, announced that customers could now shop and pay on their iPhone app.
The New York State marijuana regulators requested that the social media application TikTok lift its ban on advertisements that include the word “cannabis”. This was to help educate the public about the legalization of marijuana in the state.
State-legal cannabis businesses and advocacy groups, as well as government agencies like the California Bureau of Cannabis Control , have complained about being “shadow-banned”, where their profiles do not appear on a standard search. In 2018, there were reports that social media giant was loosening their restrictive cannabis policies. However, it is unclear what steps they have taken.
Instagram, owned by Facebook, has the same issue. People have reported that their Instagram accounts were deleted for marijuana-related posts, even when they didn’t promote the sale or use of cannabis.
Google’s Android App Hub , unlike Apple, updated its policy for 2019 and explicitly prohibited programs that connect users to cannabis, regardless of whether it was legal where the user lived.
Nevada Lawmakers send Marijuana Omnibus bill to Governor that would increase possession limits and remove industry barriers
The article Amazon’s Twitch bans streamers from promoting marijuana but allows alcohol branding in policy update first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
