For the past two years, Michael Zaytsev has sold tickets to the New York Cannabis Film Festival on Eventbrite. The yearly event shows off films that span from entertaining comedies to educational documentaries in Brooklyn's trendy Wythe Hotel. But this year, Eventbrite abruptly pulled the event from its platform and suspended Zaytsev's account.
As to why the event platform would suddenly take issue with the film festival, Zaytsev surmises that it may be due to a reference of CBD-infused popcorn.
CBD aside, other cannabis-related events have also been experiencing problems with Eventbrite.
The Southern California Cannabis Business and Investment Group holds events for professionals in the cannabis industry. "We don't sell cannabis. We just do a business meet-up," said James Jordan, one of the organizers of the event.
Jordan had been using Eventbrite for a year and a half before getting frozen out of his account. The offending listing? A finance panel featuring executives from cannabis-focused investment firms. He had sold 11 tickets on Eventbrite before he lost access to his account.
"I don't know what happened to the 11 payments," said Jordan. "I had to honor the tickets personally without receiving [the money]."
