Prosecutors in Virginia are probing whether or not Fb-parent Meta’s social media platforms Fb and Instagram are facilitating and cashing in on the unlawful sale of medicine, in keeping with a Saturday Wall Avenue Journal report.
Led by Assistant U.S. Lawyer Randy Ramseyer, the investigation contains delving into whether or not Meta META didn’t adequately take away drug-related content material from its platforms.
Citing paperwork and other people accustomed to the matter, the article notes that prosecutors had despatched subpoenas in 2023 and have been asking questions as a part of a prison grand jury probe.
Ramseyer, who beforehand investigated Purdue Pharma‘s advertising of OxyContin, requested the subpoenas. Ramseyer was featured within the Hulu miniseries “Dopesick,” in regards to the opioid disaster within the U.S.
The WSJ famous that the Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) can also be helping within the probe. Meta maintains it has insurance policies towards drug gross sales, removes such content material and collaborates with legislation enforcement and organizations devoted to combating on-line drug gross sales.
“The sale of illicit medication is towards our insurance policies and we work to search out and take away this content material from our providers”, a spokesperson for Meta informed the WSJ. “Meta proactively cooperates with legislation enforcement authorities to assist fight the sale and distribution of illicit medication.”
Meta’s president of worldwide affairs, Nick Clegg, mentioned Friday on X that Meta has joined with the US Division of State, the United Nations Workplace on Medicine and Crime and Snapchat to disrupt the sale of artificial medication on-line and educate customers in regards to the dangers.
“The opioid epidemic is a serious public well being concern that requires motion from all elements of US society,” Clegg tweeted. “The opioid epidemic is a serious public well being concern that requires motion from all elements of US society.”
In a associated transfer on the finish of February, NY Gov. Kathy Hochul and licensed dispensary house owners accused main Meta and Alphabet Inc GOOG of allegedly selling unlicensed hashish companies.
Additional complicating the difficulty is the current surge of telehealth corporations aggressively advertising prescribed drugs on social media. Considerations have been raised in regards to the deceptive nature of a few of these advertisements, probably contributing to the misuse of managed substances.
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Picture Credit: Rawpixel.com and Bukhta Yurii on Shutterstock Edited By Benzinga
