The photo sharing service Instagram has taken steps to block certain hashtags in a bid to stamp out the sale of illegal drugs via its users. The social networking site – where people post and comment on photographs and videos – announced the move after a BBC investigation, which found users were showing narcotics and advertising their sale. Most of the drug sales appear to have taken place in the US, according to the #BBCtrending strand on the broadcaster’s website. Among the illegal drugs advertised on Instagram were MDMA and other amphetamine-related substances. One ad posted below an image of bags of marijuana said: “Just getting a few packs ready for tomorrow morning … Place your order today, it gets shipped out at 8am tomorrow.” Another photo displayed a selection of pills with the caption: “$2 a pop for xans, $10 a pop for roxys ” – a reference to Xanax, a psychoactive anxiety treatment, and Roxicodone, an opiate used to treat pain.
