Google Photos blocks cannabis photo searches even where it's legal

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Credit: Shimul Sood / Android Authority

TL;DR

Google Photos’ Gemini-powered Ask Photos feature is actively blocking searches for “weed,” “cannabis,” “marijuana,” and “joints,” even in regions where consumption is legal.

The restriction surprisingly extends to classic search too, treating private photo queries like restricted generative prompts.

Searching for alternative terms like “hemp” easily bypasses the restriction, whereas queries like “beer” or “alcohol” work without issue.

Google Photos’ search functionality has felt unreliable lately, especially as Google continues to inject Gemini into every nook and cranny of its ecosystem. While Google recently began rolling out a dedicated toggle that lets users switch off Ask Photos and return to classic search , a new issue shows just how heavy-handed Gemini’s underlying guardrails can be when applied to personal files.

Reddit user binarypower is complaining that Google Photos’ search feature yields no results when searching their personal photos for “weed,” “cannabis,” “marijuana,” or “joints.” The Gemini-powered Ask Photos feature actively refuses to search the user’s photos for these search terms, and the user claims that even classic search errors out.