With some restrictions, you can now buy marijuana through Apple's App store.Apple has now allowed weed delivery apps to its platform, a move that was previously prohibited by the company. Apps that encourage the use of vape products, illegal drugs or excessive amounts alcohol were banned under the previous policy. They also had to prohibit apps that facilitate the sale or consumption of controlled substances (except licensed pharmacies), such as marijuana or tobacco.The updated App Store policy on June 7 exempts licensed pharmacies from the new App Store policy.Apple approved the first app for cannabis delivery on the App Store a month later. Eaze, which is a delivery company with over 2 million customers in California, launched its app for shoppable delivery on July 8. Eaze facilitates the sale of cannabis products between users and retailers. The independent hire staff deliver the product and verify the buyer's identity. Eaze stated that the app's release was a "major milestone" for legal cannabis consumers and the market. Customers had to make all transactions via Eaze before Apple lifted its ban on cannabis apps.Rogelio Choy, CEO of Eaze, stated in a statement that "it's difficult to overstate how crucial this is for our company and to the industry." "It is deeply satisfying to launch the Apple Store’s first fully-functional cannabis delivery application."Other cannabis delivery services have joined the App Store since then, including Beta, Caliva and Pineapple Express. Weedmaps allows users to find and browse local dispensary menus. On Wednesday, the app was updated to allow customers to buy products directly from dispensaries via the platform.Weedmaps had an Apple-approved App before the new policy. This was because it did not directly facilitate the sale or distribution of cannabis products. It was only able to allow customers to browse local dispensary options before the update. Customers had to either use the off-app services, or go in person to purchase anything."It is encouraging to see attitudes and policies toward cannabis change in a way which promises remarkable growth."Justin Dean, chief technology officer at WM Technology, Inc., stated in a statement that Apple is a great company that works with industry leaders to create solutions that will drive innovation in the space. It's encouraging that attitudes and policies toward cannabis have changed in a way that promises extraordinary growth. We look forward to making it easier to order cannabis from retailers via our platform.However, there are still some restrictions on cannabis apps. App Store guidelines stipulate that apps that provide services in "highly regulated areas" such as banking, healthcare, cannabis, or any other fields that may require sensitive user data, must be provided by a legal entity, not an individual developer. Any app that facilitates legal marijuana sales is geo-restricted to its respective legal jurisdiction. The bottom line is that Eaze and all other cannabis apps will not be available to download for residents of states where marijuana isn't legal for recreational use. For example, if you live in Idaho, these apps won't work for you to order marijuana from Oregon.Although Apple's lifting of the ban is a significant step in changing public attitudes towards cannabis, Google's ban against apps that facilitate marijuana sales continues. The Verge reported that Google Play store apps can't offer an "in-app shopping basket feature" which would allow users to "arrange delivery or pick up marijuana." No matter what legal status, Android apps cannot facilitate the sale of marijuana or other marijuana products.Marijuana Moment in 2019 noted that the Google Play policy didn't mention cannabis previously. Following an FTC complaint, the policy was changed. This was because Google Play didn't take a proactive approach to vetting apps within the kid section. Although the apps that had previously enabled cannabis product sales were not removed from the Google Play store, a spokesperson for Google told Marijuana Moment they "merely need to move the shopping cart flow beyond the app" to be considered under the new policy.Users of iPhones in legal states can, however, order marijuana without ever leaving their sofa.
