Google says apps can no longer sell weed natively

[Cal Jeffrey]

What just happened? On Thursday, Google rolled out new rules regarding cannabis-related apps. Under the newly adopted guidelines, apps that sell or arrange the delivery of marijuana within the app will no longer be allowed. This new policy includes cannabis, cannabis products (edibles, etc.), and anything containing THC, even in states where it is legal.

Despite marijuana being legal recreationally in several states and medicinally in several more, one would be forgiven for not even being aware that pot apps existed. However, as CNET notes, there are many apps on Google Play offering one form of weed service or another.

Google has not outright banned these apps; it just forbids in-app purchasing. The exact wording of the new rule says:

Marijuana

We don't allow apps that facilitate the sale of marijuana or marijuana products, regardless of legality. Here are some examples of common violations:

• Allowing users to order marijuana through an in-app shopping cart feature.
• Assisting users in arranging delivery or pick up of marijuana.
• Facilitating the sale of products containing THC.

Strictly speaking, it seems that any app that offers to sell or deliver weed or any derivative is not allowed. However, when asked for clarity on the matter, Google said that apps that sell marijuana are still permitted as long as it doesn't have an in-app shopping cart. The easy workaround, of course, is to redirect to an external web-based cart.

"These apps simply need to move the shopping cart flow outside of the app itself to be compliant with this new policy."

Developers have a 30-day window to comply with the new regulation. Google will be helping to facilitate app makers with the transition.

“These apps simply need to move the shopping cart flow outside of the app itself to be compliant with this new policy,” a spokesperson told Gizmodo. “We’ve been in contact with many of the developers and are working with them to answer any technical questions and help them implement the changes without customer disruption.”

TechCrunch builds a case that the rule change is related to a recent complaint filed in December with the FTC over kids’ apps in Google Play. It notes that around the same time as the rule change, Android Developers released a blog post regarding making Google Play safer for kids.

However, there is no mention of the weed rules in the post. Couple that with the fact that the apps are still allowed and that it is only their functionality that is changing and it seems unrelated.

As far as non-compliance goes, apps can still have a native shopping cart as long as developers are willing to distribute the app outside of Google Play. However, the storefront is very important to startups that need the exposure, so expect to see several app makers making the necessary changes.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/80302-google-apps-can-no-longer-sell-weed-natively.html

 

[Uncle Al]

"even states where it's legal ...."

Boy, you can tell the ***** that made that decision wasn't in sales or marketing!

 

[Impudicus]

When your child's' safety is in the hands of the google play store.

 

[p51d007]

Unless the federal government, changes the laws, interstate commerce of marijuana, is pretty much illegal, since it is still considered a schedule I drug, thereby illegal.
I don't care if people say it is good for this or that...it is ILLEGAL. The 10th amendment, should allow each state to make their own laws on it's legality, but the federal government will entice states to "keep it" illegal, by saying if we pass this bill, unless you do as WE say, we will withhold highway funding, school funding or some other government funding, paid by taxes, to the states.
Alcohol use to be illegal, but the 18th amendment, made it legal again.
Get someone to sponsor an amendment to make it legal, or, have the FDA take it off the classification
schedule.
You'd think "big tobacco" would be spending a ton of money, to get it legalized, considering the amount of money they would make by manufacturing and selling marijuana cigarettes.

 

[slamscaper]

Unless the federal government, changes the laws, interstate commerce of marijuana, is pretty much illegal, since it is still considered a schedule I drug, thereby illegal.
I don't care if people say it is good for this or that...it is ILLEGAL. The 10th amendment, should allow each state to make their own laws on it's legality, but the federal government will entice states to "keep it" illegal, by saying if we pass this bill, unless you do as WE say, we will withhold highway funding, school funding or some other government funding, paid by taxes, to the states.
Alcohol use to be illegal, but the 18th amendment, made it legal again.
Get someone to sponsor an amendment to make it legal, or, have the FDA take it off the classification
schedule.
You'd think "big tobacco" would be spending a ton of money, to get it legalized, considering the amount of money they would make by manufacturing and selling marijuana cigarettes.

Despite the federal law and the DEA keeping Cannabis on the Schedule I list along with Cocaine, Heroin, and Meth, they have decided not to enforce the law with any of the states that have legalized it. So at this point it's just a matter of when they will make it official at the federal level, not if.

 

[p51d007]

Despite the federal law and the DEA keeping Cannabis on the Schedule I list along with Cocaine, Heroin, and Meth, they have decided not to enforce the law with any of the states that have legalized it. So at this point it's just a matter of when they will make it official at the federal level, not if.

Agree, but, if you get caught with it, unless you are a yes sir no sir respectable to whichever LEO confronts you with it, will determine if they haul you in or not

 

[mbrowne5061]

...
You'd think "big tobacco" would be spending a ton of money, to get it legalized, considering the amount of money they would make by manufacturing and selling marijuana cigarettes.

Where do you think the money for the state-by-state push that has been happening comes from?

Go state-by-state, getting it made legal there, that way when the national change comes (and it will with the next president, I suspect, be that 2020 or 2024) they already have the support of enough senators and representatives to guarantee that it passes because there will be states with a marijuana economy already operational. Once that happens, the tobacco companies will buy up and steam-roll the smaller suppliers. You'll still see 'micro-groweries' the same way you see micro-breweries, but the large companies will stay that way.

 

[slamscaper]

Where do you think the money for the state-by-state push that has been happening comes from?

Go state-by-state, getting it made legal there, that way when the national change comes (and it will with the next president, I suspect, be that 2020 or 2024) they already have the support of enough senators and representatives to guarantee that it passes because there will be states with a marijuana economy already operational. Once that happens, the tobacco companies will buy up and steam-roll the smaller suppliers. You'll still see 'micro-groweries' the same way you see micro-breweries, but the large companies will stay that way.

I'm not so sure about that. I mean look at the thriving vaping industry. Big tobacco has been lobbying to get it shut down for years now by having false claims made that it's more dangerous than smoking and appealing to kids. This is because vaping definitely IS safer than smoking and simply much better, which is hurting big tobacco's bottom line more than the health campaigns against it ever did.

Plenty of small eliquid companies are springing up and are making money hand over fist, because they were there first. Sure Phillip-Morris has some eliquid products out there, but they pale in comparison to the premium eliquids available already. The same thing seems to be happening with Cannabis right now. Small businesses are raking in some money. Now big tobacco could still make out on the deal if they are smart about it, but time will tell.

 

[captaincranky]

Alcohol use to be illegal, but the 18th amendment, made it legal again.
Get someone to sponsor an amendment to make it legal, or, have the FDA take it off the classification schedule.

I hate to be an "accuracy Nazi", but the 18th amendment WAS prohibition, and the 21st amendment repealed it.

You'd think "big tobacco" would be spending a ton of money, to get it legalized, considering the amount of money they would make by manufacturing and selling marijuana cigarettes.

ATM, they're busy dealing with the vaping trade. Give them a chance, they'll get around to it. Some races you don't have to win, you just saunter up from the back of the pack and trample everyone in front of you.

Did you know it's not illegal to grow Papaver somniferum in the US, you just aren't allowed to process or smoke it.