Is Apple chilling out about weed? It just approved a social network called MassRoots—”a platform for discovering cannabis”—that it previously banned.
MassRoots was first made available for download from the App Store in July 2013, but Apple pulled the app last November as part of a broader crackdown on pot apps. (It left some apps intact, including guides to different marijuana strains and dispensary apps.)
Ever since then, the Denver-based startup has campaigned on social media to get Apple to change its mind. In January, the National Cannabis Industry Association sent Apple CEO Tim Cook a letter, with 23 other signees including MassRoots, urging him to reverse course on the ban.
To get approved in the App Store, MassRoots added geofencing filters so its free app can only be used in the 23 US states where medical marijuana is legal. Apple was not immediately available for comment.
“A few hours ago, an Apple representative called to notify us that our efforts were successful,” said MassRoots CEO Isaac Dietrich. He noted that the Apple representative was apologetic in tone.