Herbistry420 Banned in Russia — 3 Channel Updates

Fordee from Herbistry420 sits down to share three major channel updates — including the news that Herbistry420 was banned in Russia. This isn’t a product review or a cooking video; it’s a raw, honest conversation about the challenges cannabis content creators face on major platforms, and a heartfelt thank-you to the community that keeps the channel alive.

Herbistry420 Banned in Russia — What Happened

About three weeks before filming, Fordee woke up to an email from YouTube: Herbistry420 had been banned in Russia. Russia State Attorneys sent a formal letter to YouTube declaring the channel illegal because it discusses cannabis — vape reviews, cooking with cannabis, and cannabis education. YouTube complied, and the channel no longer appears for viewers in Russia.

For Russian viewers who followed Herbistry420, Fordee sends his apologies — there’s nothing he can do on his end. The ban is a reminder that cannabis content operates under very different rules in different parts of the world. Russia’s strict anti-cannabis stance means even educational content about the plant is considered illegal, and platforms are required to act on government requests.

3 Social Media Bans That Hit the Channel

The Russia situation was just one of three major setbacks. Fordee also lost access to key social media accounts in rapid succession:

1. Personal Facebook account — permanently banned. Fordee posted a joke meme (a photoshopped image of a baby with a drawn face) that Facebook’s automated systems flagged. The result was a permanent account ban with no path to appeal — and because his personal account managed the Herbistry420 pages, everything connected to it went down too.
2. Herbistry420 Instagram — lost. With the personal Facebook account gone, access to the main Herbistry420 Instagram was also wiped. Follower contacts, DMs, and years of posts were no longer accessible.
3. Art Instagram (Can’t Stop Art Gallery) — also gone. Fordee had sold artwork through his art Instagram account. All buyer messages, contacts, and that entire sales channel disappeared with the Facebook ban.

To rebuild, Fordee created a new backup Instagram — herbistry420_420 — repurposing a former account with an even larger following. While the old pages are gone, the community is being rebuilt from a stronger starting position.

Cannabis YouTube Channels and the Algorithm Problem

Fordee also opened up about a frustration shared by every cannabis YouTube creator: the algorithmic disadvantage of 18+ content. Videos marked as age-restricted reach far fewer people by default — viewers must be logged in and verified, cutting organic reach significantly. Non-restricted channels get shown to anyone, logged in or not.

Despite running a mixed-content channel — vape reviews, cannabis cooking, edibles, jokes, and lifestyle content — Fordee keeps making videos because the community responds. The ADHD creative approach isn’t going away, even if it makes things harder for the algorithm.

What’s Coming Next on Herbistry420

None of this is slowing the channel down. Upcoming content includes the Ispire Wand review, the DynaVap Bonger with the M7 tip, more cooking and edibles videos, and the usual mix of memes and stoner content that keeps things interesting. If you’ve been watching and want to help the channel grow, liking, commenting, and sharing makes a bigger difference on a cannabis channel than almost anywhere else.

Support the Channel

If you enjoy Herbistry420’s content, consider supporting the channel:

☕ Buy Fordee a Coffee / Beer / Spliff

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