Instagram was a really useful tool for communication,” said spokesperson Francy Wade. “It’s an opportunity for us to showcase our products.”

However, that use violated the social media platform’s policies. The company also hasn’t posted on Facebook since Oct. 13.

Facebook has owned Instagram since 2012.
According to Instagram spokeswoman Stephanie Noon, at least three Central Massachusetts marijuana business all violated the platform’s regulated goods policies: Cultivate, Wakefield-based Curaleaf with a medical dispensary in Oxford, and Milford-based Sira Naturals with dispensaries in the Greater Boston area. Medway-based CommCan, which has dispensaries in Millis and Southborough, also had its account shut down, said CEO Marc Rosenfeld.

New England Treatment Access, which along with Cultivate was the first to open for recreational sales east of the Mississippi River, had its account disabled after gathering 3,400 followers. The company has since made a new account and its first post was on Saturday, four days after the start of adult-use pot sales.

A link for the Instagram account of Boston-based Patriot Care was also removed as of Nov. 28.

On Thursday, Facebook pages for Sira, NETA, and Curaleaf were not active. Curaleaf spokesperson Samantha Qualls said the company’s page was deactivated by Facebook, most likely for posting cannabis-related content.

“Our social pages have been shut down briefly in the past and we have successfully appealed to get them reinstated, as we will do in this case,” she said.