Eventbrite Removes Handful of Cannabis Events

According to EventHi, an event platform specific to the cannabis industry, cannabis-related events grossed at least $100 million in ticket sales in 2016. Despite the cannabis industry repeatedly demonstrating an ability to generate revenue, an association with cannabis continues to yield opposition.

Michael Zaytsev, a life coach and contributor to Forbes, has been selling tickets to the New York Cannabis Film Festival on Eventbrite for two years. The event is a showcase of cinema running the gamut from eye-opening documentary to side-splitting comedy, but this year the event was suddenly pulled from the Eventbrite platform and Zaytsev’s account was suspended.

But Zaytsev has not been limited to the film festival. He has also organized networking events for the cannabis industry, where he has sold tickets on Eventbrite without hassle. He says that last weeks’ suspension was reportedly due to “violations of laws surrounding a federally regulated substance,” according to a statement to Forbes.

Zaytsev told Forbes that he was notified via email that in order to reinstate his account he would need to “agree to only publish events in compliance with our [Eventbrite] Terms of Use, Merchant Agreement, and all applicable laws.” Yet after responding multiple times he received no response.

“First of all, they have money that I’m owed for tickets I sold,” said Zaytsev in a statement for Forbes. “Forget cannabis, this is no way to treat a customer with a three-year relationship with [the company].”

And Zaysev is not alone in his sudden suspension. The Southern California Cannabis Business and Investment Group, which holds events for cannabis industry professionals, has also recently encountered setbacks while using Eventbrite. James Jordan, an organizer for SCCBI, said he used Eventbrite for over a year without issue, but has been frozen out of his account for listing an event for cannabis-centered investment firms. He sold 11 tickets before being suspended.

“I don’t know what happened to the 11 payments,” Jordan said. “I had to honor the tickets personally without receiving [the money].”

Jordan says when he attempted to file a complaint he discovered he needed to reference a URL to do so. But with a frozen account this is impossible.

“If they freeze you out, you can’t reference a URL,” Jordan stated. “This is a ridiculous way to do it. I probably lost half of my crowd from the [finance] event.”

According to Forbes, an Eventbrite spokesperson said that the platform will work with organizers on an individual basis to resolve concerns.