Apple made a huge change to how it accepts applications in its iOS App Store Thursday by lifting its ban on MassRoots, a social networking service for marijuana fans.
The move follows a month after the tech giant pulled the app due to issues with company guidelines that ban "apps that encourage excessive consumption of alcohol or illegal substances," according to Fortune.
As a result, MassRoots sent a letter co-signed by the National Cannabis Industry Association, pot-centered investment company ArcView Group and other marijuana firms to Apple CEO Tim Cook to persuade him to change his stance on the app, saying that "strong regulations are more effective than prohibitionist policies." The company said Friday that thousands of users showed their support by emailing Apple, asking it to all MassRoots back into its App Store.
With MassRoots, a service that operates similar to Twitter and Instagram, pot enthusiasts can connect to marijuana users in the same area and follow them, as well as post their own messages, photos and videos, Fortune reported.
The MassRoots team wrote Friday in a blog post that as part of the agreement with the Cupertino, Calif.-based company, it will use a geo-location check to make sure the app is only available in the 23 states where medical marijuana is legal.
The company also thanked Apple for allowing the service to return to the App Store and "continuing to set an example as a socially-progressive institution," TechCrunch reported.
"We are excited to begin a new chapter with Apple in which we can work together to affect meaningful societal change," MassRoots added, saying it has "a duty to show the world that cannabis consumption can be done in a safe and responsible manner in compliance with state laws and federal enforcement guidelines."
