Social media is a useful tool for businesses. Recently, however, Facebook began shutting down pages of medical marijuana dispensaries across the country, and some in Northern Arizona say it’s likely to hurt business. Arizona Public Radio’s Justin Regan reports.
23 states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana. Arizona voters passed the Medical Marijuana Act in 2010 making it legal in the state, but the federal government still considers it an illegal drug.
Facebook allows marijuana advocacy pages, but those that promote selling pot aren’t allowed, regardless of state law. Flagstaff’s High Mountain Health dispensary recently lost access to its page.
“We don’t have the same audience any more we’re losing business because of this, I think. We’re not selling drugs at this point, we are selling medicine to people, to patients who need it more than ever right now,” said Dan Ziffer, High Mountain Health’s Social Media Manager.
He says he’s worried High Mountain Health could also lose its Instagram account, because the site is owned by Facebook. A statement from Facebook says the medical marijuana dispensary pages are in violation of their standards.
