Why Public Marijuana Pages are Being Deleted by Facebook

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Only 23 states and Washington, D.C. have legalized marijuana in the United States, as per Mic. While some have legalized cannabis for medical purposes, some have embraced marijuana for recreational use, specifically in Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Washington and the District of Columbia.

With this legalization comes the proliferation of marijuana cafes across the country. With social media being a useful marketing tool for business, it wasn't unlikely that these business and groups would take to social media to promote their products and lifestyle.

This time, however, social media is fighting back. Facebook is apparently deleting pages run by three Garden State dispensaries and several others across the country, as per New Jersey On-Line.

The move has garnered mixed emotions from the public, including dispensary owners and patients, who admitted that they use these Facebook pages to get the latest updates and information about the latest cannabis strains that help alleviate their health problems. In fact, Breakwater Wellness and Treatment Center in Cranbury and Compassionate Sciences Alternative Treatment Center in Bellmawr are just two of the organizations who have had their pages taken down by Facebook.

"It seems high-handed to simply shut down important resources for sick patients without even saying why or giving organizations a way to ask for reconsideration," Peter Rosenfeld, one of the 5,668 registered patients in the state program, commented. "What better use of a social media than having sites where parents of sick children can ask questions about medication and treatments?"

A Facebook spokesperson told Engadget, "These pages have been removed for violating our Community Standards, which outline what is and is not allowed on Facebook." These standards "prohibit attempts by unauthorized dealers to purchase, sell, or trade prescription drugs, marijuana, or firearms."

However, these organizations are legally operating within the states where marijuana is legal, so there should not be any laws violated. The problem here lies in the Internet, where there are no bounds.

"[Facebook is] incredibly important because the state limits what we can do on our website," Compassionate Sciences General Manager Michael Nelson said, as per Regal Tribune. "It allows us to post strain names which allows people to do research. It allows the communication between the patients about what is working."

This move by Facebook seems to imply that the company is aligning itself with federal laws instead of state laws. Meanwhile, no official statement has come from founder Mark Zuckerberg, who has recently been vocal about other health issues, including vaccination in babies, sharing a photo of his daughter getting her first vaccination.