Facebook Removes Medical Marijuana Dispensary Pages

Selling marijuana for medical purposes is legal in 23 states, but Facebook apparently has a less permissive attitude towards the drug. The social network has shut down the business pages of a marijuana dispensaries in a number of states including New Jersey, Maine, and Washington, reports NJ.com, citing its community standards.

A spokesperson for Facebook told Engadget: "These pages have been removed for violating our community standards, which outline what is and is not allowed on Facebook. Here is a link to our standards." However, the social network's rules only prohibit the sale (or purchase) of drugs by "unauthorized dealers" — a category to which licensed marijuana dispensaries would seemingly not belong.

It's possible though, that Facebook is following federal rather than state law, where the legality of medical marijuana can be a bit of a gray area.

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