Facebook Shuts Down NJ Marijuana Dispensary Profiles, Montclair's Greenleaf Not Among Them

Medical marijuana sales may be legal in 23 states – including New Jersey – but Facebook apparently doesn’t want any part of it.

In a move that some cannabis advocates are calling “high handed” and detrimental to legally registered patients, Facebook recently shut down the pages of several medical marijuana dispensaries in New Jersey, stating that the pages violate their terms of use.

According to the social media giant’s “Community Standards” rules:

“We prohibit any attempts by unauthorized dealers to purchase, sell, or trade prescription drugs, marijuana, or firearms. If you post an offer to purchase or sell alcohol, tobacco, or adult products, we expect you to comply with all applicable laws and carefully consider the audience for that content. We do not allow you to use Facebook’s payment tools to sell or purchase regulated goods on our platform.”

As of Thursday afternoon, three of New Jersey’s five licensed Alternative Treatment Centers had unresponsive Facebook pages: Compassionate Sciences in Bellmawr, Garden State in Woodbridge and Breakwater Treatment and Wellness in Cranbury.

Users who attempt to access their Facebook sites get the following message:

“Sorry, this content isn’t available right now… The link you followed may be broken, or the page may have been removed.”

The Facebook pages of the Garden State’s two other dispensaries – Greenleaf Compassion in Montclair and Compassionate Care Foundation in Egg Harbor Township – were still operational as of 11:30 a.m.

Other dispensaries and medical marijuana providers in states such as Maine and Washington also reported that their Facebook pages have recently been deactivated, NJ.com reported.

However, Facebook has reversed such bans in the past, as it did last year when it suspended the account of one of California’s largest medical marijuana dispensaries, Harborside Health Center in Oakland, only to reinstate it later.

Some of New Jersey’s registered medical marijuana patients spoke out against Facebook’s policy after finding out that their local dispensary’s page had been suspended.

“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,” NJ medical marijuana patient Peter Rosenfeld told NJ.com. “What better use of a social media than having sites where parents of sick children can ask questions about medication and treatments?”

While Facebook may be taking an active stance against perceived medical marijuana “sales” on their site, there may be some measure of relief available via its social media competitors.

As of Thursday, Twitter pages were up and running for Breakwater Treatment and Wellness and Greenleaf Compassion.

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