Google Is Banning Marijuana Delivery Apps On The Play Store

A few years ago, several states in the US made a somewhat landmark decision where the use of marijuana was legalized. Previously, marijuana was legal in some states but only for medicinal use, but now there are some states where you can buy them for non-medical purposes, and in some cases, even grow a couple of plants yourself.

Perhaps due to the fact that it hasn’t been legalized nationwide, but it seems that Google has announced that they will be banning marijuana delivery apps on its Play Store. According to Google, “We don’t allow apps that facilitate the sale of marijuana or marijuana products, regardless of legality.”

Google has since clarified what these changes in policy means and in a statement made to Android Police, “These apps simply need to move the shopping cart flow outside of the app itself to be compliant with this new policy. 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.”

Some are speculating that Google is simply trying to create a more family-friendly/kid-friendly image with the Play Store, but either way, if these apps are banned, the beauty of Android is that their APKs can be sideloaded easily enough for those who absolutely need to use an app to purchase their marijuana with.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Cellphones
Tags: Android, Apps, Google, Legal