First cannabis delivery app lands on App Store following policy changes

The first app to offer cannabis delivery has launched in the App Store, a month after Apple changed App Store policies allowing apps that handled sales via legal dispensaries.

Apple made a change to the App Store policies on June 7, introducing many changes to rules about what apps offered for download can do. Among the changes was a loosening of restrictions on in-app sales from licensed and legal pharmacies and cannabis dispensaries in areas where they are allowed, and it has taken just over a month for the first app to arrive that takes advantage of that alteration.

Eaze is the first app available on the App Store that can facilitate the purchase and delivery of cannabis in the United States. While Eaze has offered sales via its website, the new app is thought to be more convenient, as those same transactions can be performed without directing users to a browser.

The app includes registration, ID verification, handles payments, and receipts for orders, as well as on-demand delivery and order tracking. Sales are limited to those aged 21 years or over, and with multiple verifications of customer IDs throughout the purchase and delivery process.

To keep the service legal, the app geofences purchases to jurisdictions where cannabis is legal. Currently, the service delivers across California, and will start delivery in Michigan later in July.

"Eaze has always been about using the latest developments in technology to make shopping for legal cannabis more accessible," said Eaze CEO Rogelio Choy. "It's hard to overstate how important this is to our company and the industry."

While Apple has been progressive in allowing cannabis sales apps in the App Store, Google's Play Store policy outright bans apps that allow the sale of marijuana or related products, "regardless of legality."

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17 Comments

mcdave 1927 comments · 19 Years

About 3 years ago

I wonder if the geofence works on billing address as well as delivery.

mfryd 227 comments · 16 Years

I wonder how the App handles payments? Most banks are federally chartered, and are not allowed to knowingly service customers running an illegal business. Under Federal law, pot is illegal everywhere in the USA. Therefore banks can’t take on pot sellers as customers. This is why many pot businesses are cash only. It’s true that the Feds tend not to enforce the pot laws in state that allow pot, but that is not the same as it being legal.

glennh 74 comments · 9 Years

mfryd said:

I wonder how the App handles payments? Most banks are federally chartered, and are not allowed to knowingly service customers running an illegal business. Under Federal law, pot is illegal everywhere in the USA. Therefore banks can’t take on pot sellers as customers. This is why many pot businesses are cash only. It’s true that the Feds tend not to enforce the pot laws in state that allow pot, but that is not the same as it being legal.”

Glennh says:

In addition, it is illegal in most states that allow medical or personal use of Mary Jane for a second party to facilitate or transport MJ to others.

I am surprise this passed muster with Apple Legal which is usually very conservative in obeying all laws regardless of jurisdiction.

I think these pot apps will get booted as soon as some minors gets caught using the apps along with the resulting negative publicity or when a conservative U. S. Attorney says something regarding the apps and the fact that federal seizure laws still allows the seizure of anything used in violation of any Federal Drug Law.

Either way, get ready for the show because nothing goes unnoticed and everything is game for political theater these days, especially a left coast tech company. allowing others to circumvent a U.S. Law.

[Deleted User] 0 comments · 9 Years

mfryd said:

I wonder how the App handles payments? Most banks are federally chartered, and are not allowed to knowingly service customers running an illegal business. Under Federal law, pot is illegal everywhere in the USA. Therefore banks can’t take on pot sellers as customers. This is why many pot businesses are cash only. It’s true that the Feds tend not to enforce the pot laws in state that allow pot, but that is not the same as it being legal.

This was more of an issue prior to the Cole memo. Now there are over 700 banks that will work with cannabis sellers so taking credit/debit cards is pretty common.

beowulfschmidt 2349 comments · 12 Years

Happy_Noodle_Boy said:

mfryd said:

I wonder how the App handles payments? Most banks are federally chartered, and are not allowed to knowingly service customers running an illegal business. Under Federal law, pot is illegal everywhere in the USA. Therefore banks can’t take on pot sellers as customers. This is why many pot businesses are cash only. It’s true that the Feds tend not to enforce the pot laws in state that allow pot, but that is not the same as it being legal.

This was more of an issue prior to the Cole memo. Now there are over 700 banks that will work with cannabis sellers so taking credit/debit cards is pretty common.

The Cole Memorandum was rescinded by A.G. Sessions, but an analysis of DOJ cases since then suggests that they're still following the guidance from Cole. The fact that it was rescinded means, however, that the feds could go back to being stupid about it at any time.