The application, MassRoots, an online community for discovering marijuana, had been in the App Store since July 2013. It was yanked without warning on Nov. 4, 2014 as part of a broader crackdown on pot apps, coincidentally on the same day residents of Oregon, Alaska and Washington, D.C. voted to legalize pot for adult recreational use.
— MassRoots (@MassRootsApp) February 11, 2015
Co-founder of the online community Isaac Dietrich, who started a petition to restore the application, had asked for “geo-restricting the MassRoots, so that only people living in jurisdictions where marijuana is legal could use it.” But the Silicon Valley giant refused.
On Thursday, however, Apple reversed its policy.
— Marijuana Heroes® (@MarijuanaHeroes) February 13, 2015
“A few hours ago, an Apple representative called to notify us that our efforts were successful: the App Store is permitting cannabis social apps that are geo-restricted to the 23 states that have legalized medicinal cannabis. MassRoots is available for download in the App Store,” Dietrich told the San Francisco Chronicle.
But the challenge isn’t over yet for the online social network.
In a blog post published on the company website on Thursday, officials thanked Apple but stressed that “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. 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. To our users, supporters, investors, advertisers, and Apple: thank you. We will not let you down.”
Medicinal marijuana is legal in 23 states and the District of Columbia, and voters in four states have legalized marijuana for adults.
