Apple has lifted its ban on weed-related apps from iTunes shortly after instating it, instead opting to permit geographically-restricted apps.
Apps like MassRoots, a marijuana social networking app, will now be available for download in the 23 states where marijuana is legal in some capacity—for either medical or recreational purposes.
Apple initially gave MassRoots the boot at the beginning of the year. The app had been available since July 2013, before Apple changed its policy to expressly ban weed-related apps with a social aspect.
“This limits consumer choice to dispensary locators and strain guides, preventing the innovation that the App Store has spawned for countless other industries,” MassRoots wrote, in protest of the policy change. “In the cannabis sector, these innovations will allow patients to more effectively communicate, to have their medicine delivered directly to their homes, and will allow the industry to operate in a safer and more efficient manner.”
MassRoots and others lobbied hard to be allowed back in the App Store, and last week announced their victory:
Thanks to the strong support from our community MassRoots is back in the App Store! http://t.co/4615gau7a4 pic.twitter.com/OFkxSw405o
— MassRoots (@MassRootsApp) February 13, 2015
“A tremendous amount of responsibility has just been placed on MassRoots; we have a duty to show the world that cannabis consumption can be done in a safe and responsible manner in compliance with state laws and federal enforcement guidelines,” the company wrote in a blog post. “We do not take this task lightly. Over the coming weeks, we will be implementing new features to strengthen our compliance even beyond what is currently required.”
