An Aberdeen couple are fearing for the future after their business page was suddenly removed from Facebook.
Rebecca Napier found that Cannabidiol (CBD) oil benefited the treatment of her chronic Crohn’s Disease and Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS).
Inspired by the positive results, Mrs Napier, 35, and her husband Calum, 34, decided to start the The Wee Hemp Company in May, after both were made redundant from the oil and gas industry.
But on Boxing Day the couple discovered that their Facebook business page – and those of other businesses using CBD products – had been deactivated, causing the couple “stress and uncertainty”.
In a joint statement the pair said: “It seems Facebook has taken the Christmas period as an opportunity to catch companies off-guard, with many pages being shut down on Boxing Day.
“To add insult to injury, they didn’t even have the decency to notify the companies in question.”
CBD is one of the 113 chemical compounds found in cannabis and is legal in the UK.
When questioned by another UK CBD company shut down on Boxing Day, Facebook replied: “Even though hemp products may be legal in some countries and states it is not yet defined on the platform [Facebook].
“Facebook is an international company. As this is our current policy, this decision cannot be appealed at this time.”
Mr Napier highlighted the safety issue of their Facebook page being removed, as the couple frequently message customers about dosage amounts.
Mr Napier added: “We work 100% within UK and EU law and rely on social media for a large percentage of our interaction with our customers.
“It is a massive part of our company & is the main point of contact to our customers.
“The future is now uncertain for The Wee Hemp Company – and having both been made redundant this is our only source of household income at present.”