Staff WriterFacebook is deleting groups for harm reduction amongst drug users. Most notably deleted was a page called ‘Sesh Safety’, a group offering valuable advice about harm reduction to users.
According to Vice, The Daily Mail researched how easy the acquisition of drugs on Social Media is and noted how Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are “aiding and abetting” the sale of drugs online and as a result the Facebook group offering on-demand drugs harm reduction advice was deleted permanently.
Buying and selling bans are covered by Facebook’s Community Standards which would forbid the use of the site for organising criminal activity. Vice was sent a link to Facebook’s Community Standards by a spokesperson who also noted that buying, selling or giving instructions for the use of illegal drugs is not allowed on Facebook. However, a ban on giving instructions for the use of illegal drugs was nowhere to be seen.
People are going to continue to use drugs no matter what rules there are. The problem lies in the names and the weights of the drugs, so people should be allowed to access safe information online to practice harm reduction, especially individuals who are new to it all.
In the wake of the news that extra strength orange Tesla pills were discovered in England recently, as well as a slew of similar discoveries, it’s essential that information is available to possible users regarding the potency of the pills they’re taking so they know which are safer than others.
Preventing people from accessing useful information as regards safe drugs use only serves to amplify the danger and while we can never condone or encourage the use of drugs, if and when someone does decide to use them, we encourage you educate yourself the best you can and always use drugs as safely as possible.