Apple is finally allowing some marijuana companies on the App Store while Google is still saying no

The tech industry has had a change of heart when it comes to cannabis, and Apple is the latest to support the marijuana industry.

TechCrunch, who first reported on these new changes, stated that Apple’s new App Store guidelines include not only adjustments relevant to cannabis brands, but also the tech giant’s new, tougher stance on fraud, fraud, and misconduct reflect from developers.

In the past, Apple’s policy did not allow apps related to the sale or use of cannabis. Specifically, it says: “Apps that encourage the consumption of tobacco and steam products, illegal drugs or excessive alcohol consumption are not allowed in the App Store. Apps that encourage minors to use these substances will be rejected. It is not allowed to facilitate the sale of controlled substances (with the exception of licensed pharmacies), marijuana or tobacco. “

In other words, licensed cannabis pharmacies and pharmacies can sell their products online as long as they are legal and geotargeted.

On June 7th, they finally updated their policy, which now reads: “Apps that encourage the use of tobacco and steam products, illegal drugs or excessive amounts of alcohol are not allowed in the App Store. Apps that encourage minors to use these substances will be rejected. Facilitating the sale of controlled substances (with the exception of licensed pharmacies and licensed or otherwise legal cannabis pharmacies) or tobacco is not allowed. “

They added, “Apps that provide services in highly regulated areas (such as banking and financial services, healthcare, gambling, legal cannabis use, and air travel) or that require sensitive user information should be submitted by a legal entity providing the services, and.. not from a single developer. Apps that enable the legal sale of cannabis must be geographically restricted to the relevant legal system. “

Huge milestone for the cannabis market

This move reflects a monumental shift in how technology looks at the cannabis industry; the two can actually benefit from working together.

Eaze, the largest cannabis delivery service in the United States, announced shortly after Apple’s changes that consumers could then buy and pay for their marijuana products using their app for the first time. “The Eaze app enables customers to seamlessly complete all aspects of delivery: registration, ID verification, product selection, payment and receipt to their doorstep,” said a press release.

In the past, users who wanted to shop through the Eaze app had to leave the app and submit their orders through the mobile version of their website. But now, Apple’s policy changes allow the entire experience to be much more streamlined.

“Eaze has always been about taking advantage of the latest technological developments to make buying legal cannabis more accessible,” said Rogelio Choy, CEO of Eaze. “It can hardly be overestimated how important this is for our company and the industry. It is very gratifying to launch the Apple Store’s first fully functional cannabis delivery app, which will make it even easier for our two million registered customers to consume legally. “

Some of the features available in the Eaze app include: On Demand Delivery, Easy Payment, Order Tracking, Rotating Offers, Thanks Selection, and Cannabis For A Good Cause. “The flexibility and depth of our technical team enabled us to respond immediately to changes in Apple’s policy and develop an app that would give our customers the ideal cannabis delivery experience,” said CJ Silverio Eaze Distinguished Engineer.

Waves in the tech industry – will Google catch up?

The way tech giants have handled cannabis in the past has been vague at best. Even social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram have allowed cannabis brands to sign up, though many of them have been banned, deleted, and banned in the shadows in recent years.

And while you still can’t buy weed on Amazon, marijuana drug testing was phased out last month. They made a public pledge to relax their drug testing rules and support the legalization of cannabis. They specifically announced that they will no longer test cannabis metabolites for roles that are not regulated by the U.S. Department of Transportation. They added that they would support the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, a law recently introduced with the intention of postponing cannabis while freeing past cannabis convictions.

However, Google updated its app policy back in 2019 to do the opposite: ban apps that would connect people to cannabis services, whether or not it is legal in their jurisdiction. “We do not allow apps that make it easier to sell marijuana or marijuana products, regardless of legality,” said their policy. They add that examples include “enabling users to order marijuana through an in-app shopping cart feature” or similarly “helping users organize the delivery or collection of marijuana”.

It was never clear how Google was going to get around these rules, although it wanted to make Google Play more suitable for children. But the ban on cannabis stores is just over the top, why not just ban the sale of cannabis in areas where it is not legal?

Conclusion

Cannabis retailers and the industry at large have long recognized the value technology brings to the table. Canna-tech can improve so many elements of running a cannabis business, be it marketing, point of sale, or inventory. But considering that the legal cannabis industry is young at best, the technologies available are still relatively new, and the existing tech industry still has a lot to do when it comes to welcoming the cannabis industry with open arms. Hopefully these small changes will make massive waves and positively influence other big technology giants to do the same when it comes to enabling companies to sell through their platforms.

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