The legal cannabis industry continues struggling to maintain what it builds. Banks and other payment services continue denying them service. They can’t advertise the same places other businesses can, and they’re routinely removed from social media.

It’s not easy, but Clubhouse has been overall great about accommodating the cannabis industry. In fact, I was lucky enough to sit in on some conversations over the weekend with several prominent cannabis professionals, like Susan Soares and Dr. Dina, who were monetized on the platform.

Soares hosted a room on Saturday discussing the monetization but fearing she would lose it for being associated with cannabis. Because her name is “@CannabisEvent,” she feared she would be demonetized. I reassured her, and everything seemed well for all of 24 hours.

Unfortunately, it didn’t last long – Soares woke up Sunday morning to learn her fears were justified. She received an email from Stripe stating she had 5 days before being suspended. She changed her Clubhouse AVI and attended the townhall (and various recap rooms) to try to find answers.

I immediately noticed and took a shot at helping her. I tagged Stripe in a tweet explaining the injustice of the decision and asked for them to investigate. To my surprise, I got a response from a Stripe rep who reinstated her account and apologized.

Excited, I sought Soares to tell her the news, and that’s when an organic moment occurred that couldn’t happen anywhere else but Clubhouse.

Cash Rules Everything Around Me

Monetization was rolled out on Clubhouse last week, and it created chaos the team may not have been ready for. As soon as the “Send Money” option was seen, people started gossiping and theorizing about who did and didn’t get monetized and why. The randomization was definitely called into question.

In the cannabis industry, the mood was different – nobody expected to be monetized because of the nature of the industry.

Although legalized in one way or another in all but six states, cannabis is still listed as a Schedule I drug with the Drug Enforcement Agency. This makes it hard for the industry’s players to make much headway on any internet or social platform before being removed.

The announcement of Stripe as Clubhouse’s payment partner caused much chagrin, as we already know legal cannabis is considered a restricted business by the payment processor. It regularly deplatforms companies involved in the sale of cannabis, tobacco, weapons, adult content, gambling, and more.

Republicans have been having the issue too. Conservative mod Kris Ruby held a room through her Republicans & Conservatives club discussing the issue last week. Right-wing pundits and politicians are terrified of being deplatformed simply for their views.

Even CBD companies run into this issue, despite the 2018 Farm Bill legalizing hemp and hemp-derived products. These companies need to work with companies like Square which have specific programs in place to help.

But Clubhouse creators are a different story, and this partnership is a big deal for both companies. And when Soares and others had their accounts suspended, it created a dangerous precedent. That’s how I knew I had to speak up.

I had no idea that I would get a response. A Stripe representative immediately cleared up the situation on Twitter. By the time it happened, Soares already had a room started with a group of well-respected cannabis industry professionals on Clubhouse.

She was explaining the situation when I broke the news that her account was re-established. This caused many in the room to ask questions we couldn’t answer without a representative from Stripe in the room.

Having received a response, I took another swing on Twitter and sent the link to the room. That’s when we were joined in the Clubhouse room by Edwin Wee, the Stripe representative who reinstated Susan’s account.

Respect for Generation Z

Wee apologized to Soares then fielded any and all questions from the room. It was a magical moment that truly gave everyone a better feeling about their ability to monetize.

The big talking point is simply that nobody’s selling anything on Clubhouse. Those with the ability to receive money do so without any contractual obligations. They’re essentially being paid to talk, and Wee (a Clubhouse user himself) is aware of this.

He explained that neither he nor the company have any issues with the cannabis industry. However, federal laws prohibit certain businesses from doing business with banks. Stripe simply facilitates payments online, and they’re unwilling and unable to bypass banking restrictions.

It’s a big problem, but it’s not one that any business is capable of fixing. It’s an issue that needs to be fixed by activists, lobbyists, and politicians. However, he was happy to reinstate Soares’s account, and he explained to everybody the different situations that could get them in trouble.

As it turns out, Soares was right about the term “cannabis” triggering the system to automatically suspend her account. Any related terms, like “marijuana” and even “420” also trigger it. However “pot” and “flower” are ok, because they are also associated with non-cannabis companies.

What really impressed everyone in the room was Wee’s willingness to jump into the room and spend a full hour speaking to us. He addressed any point we brought up and left everyone satisfied that we at least understand the payment rules.

Cannabis often gets a bad rap associated with pothead culture. But it’s the actions we took that inevitably created the most informative room on monetization I’ve attended so far.

He invited us to attend the next conversation with Stripe staff regarding Clubhouse payments that was scheduled for 4/20 by serendipity. I don’t know what else I’ll be doing to celebrate 4/20 this year, but you can bet sitting in that room will be a part of it.

At the age of 40, that was easily the most impressive customer service experience I ever had. And it’s interesting why – all Edwin did was respond on Twitter and Clubhouse. They’re just communication platforms, and emailing and calling him would’ve done the same.

But that personal touch of being able to talk directly to him on a Sunday to immediately resolve Soares’s problem was everything. I left the room with a lot more respect for Stripe.

In fact, after publicly thanking Wee on both Clubhouse and Twitter, I continued the conversation by helping spread the good word across both platforms.

Continue the Conversation

As always, the best part of Clubhouse is the conversation never stops. You may have completely opposing views about the cannabis industry and be upset about this news. That’s perfectly fine if we don’t see eye-to-eye, and I welcome the civil discourse.

Feel free to join the cannabis industry through a variety of clubs on the platform to learn more. You can discuss any issues you have and hear different perspectives and opinions on the matter.

Or you’re welcome to start your own room with the topic of your choice. There’s room for everyone’s voice on Clubhouse.

Subscribe to the Clubhouse Conversations Substack to get the best of Clubhouse delivered straight to your inbox or keep up with the Clubhouse calendar on the r/ClubhouseConvos subReddit.

If you have something to say, follow me on Clubhouse to let me know.