Facebook bans "content that promotes the sale or use of marijuana regardless of state or country."
TRENTON -- The Facebook home pages for two medical marijuana dispensaries are working again after the operators deleted the price list and photos of the medicinal plant to comply with the social media company's rules, the dispensary managers confirmed.
Compassionate Sciences Alternative Treatment Center General Manager Michael Nelson said the Facebook page went live Sunday - four days after the Menlo Park, Calif. company disconnected it without advance warning for violating a policy that prohibits the promotion of an illegal goods.
Facebook restored the home page for Breakwater Health and Wellness in Cranbury on Monday, said the dispensary's founder Alex Zaleski. All mentions of specific products and entries posted prior to Feb. 5 appear to have been deleted.
Despite medical marijuana programs operating in 23 states and Washington D.C., marijuana possession and production violates federal law. In recent months, Facebook has disconnected the pages created by dispensaries in other states - and most recently in New Jersey - because they violate the social media giant's "community standards" policy. Facebook bans "content that promotes the sale or use of marijuana regardless of state or country," according to the policy.
Facebook's decision angered patients, who say they use the interactive portal to learn what is available and to share information about the most effective strains to alleviate their symptoms.
Nelson said the manager at the Bellmawr dispensary deleted plant photos and price lists, and filed an electronic appeal with Facebook on Saturday. On Sunday, the dispensary's page was operating again, Nelson said.
"They don't give you any guidance. We don't know what we can refer to. The photos seemed to be an easy, obvious thing they had a problem with," Nelson said.
The home page for Garden State Dispensary in Woodbridge and Managers at these facilities could not immediately be reached for comment.
The site pages for Greenleaf Compassion Center in Montclair and Compassionate Care Foundation in Egg Harbor were not affected.
Nelson said he is relieved the controversy is over. Even without the prices and specials advertised, Facebook is critical to the operation, he said.
"Letting patient talk to each other is everything," he said. "We get feedback from patients on service, quality and effectiveness. We pay close attention to it."
The Facebook flap is just the latest example of the conflict between state and federal statutes for people who manufacture cannabis or rely on it to replace less effective federally-regulated medications. By necessity it is a cash-driven business because most banks are federally insured and won't loan money or allow credit cards purchases from an illegal operation.
When Compassionate Sciences opened in October, the owners had a bank-owned automated cash machine installed on site. Last week, in the midst of the Facebook controversy, the ATM was removed, Nelson said.
Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.