23 ms·

Google bans apps that facilitate sale of marijuana

195 points by Illniyar 7y ago

ksaj 7y ago
Illegal markets? It is legal in all of Canada, in pretty much the way alcohol is. Are the apps unavailable in Canada where the legal pot (which is in some cases far superior to the shaggy bits one would get on the streets) comes from government certified sources? But then again, I haven't seen a Google booze ad. Do they allow alcohol ads?
- ilikehurdles 7y ago
  They allow Drizly, an alcohol delivery app.
  - floatingatoll 7y ago
    Do they knowingly allow it and have affirmed publicly that such apps are okay? Or, have they silently permitted it on their App Store but never openly said “this is fine”?
    - ckorhonen 7y ago
      Considering they have actively featured some of alcohol delivery apps in the store at some point (either at the Food and Drink category level, or in a "Plan that Memorial Day BBQ" type curation), then I assume that it is fine? It maybe starts to get a bit more hairy since some of them now also sell tobacco and CBD products alongside the alcohol.
      - floatingatoll 7y ago
        There's a big difference between "An official Google blog post said it's okay", to the same level of certainty as the pot post linked above, and "An app store curator selected an app". App store curators are likely independent contractors hired by a third-party management firm, for one. They're not quite clear about whether "featured apps" are endorsed by Google or merely selected by "staff" (a term that usually includes contractors), but I imagine if you made a fuss about "Google promotes XYZ evil app", they would quietly update the legalese to say that "featured" does not imply "endorsed" or similar. https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/1295940?hl=en https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answ...
  - shard972 7y ago
    Well hey, that's illegal in Iran, so might as well ban it from the google store.
- duskwuff 7y ago
  > Do they allow alcohol ads? https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/6012382 https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/6012382 Surprisingly, the answer is "yes". But alcohol ads can only be shown on sites which have explicitly opted in to alcohol ads, which most sites don't.
  - dmix 7y ago
    Which demonstrates the benefit of having decentralized websites deciding which ads are okay rather than one centralized global distribution platform deciding what's "acceptable content" for every app uploaded there.
    - duskwuff 7y ago
      I'm not sure this demonstrates anything of the sort. Google delegates this specific decision to AdSense partners, but there are plenty of other categories of ads which Google prohibits outright (like guns, pornography, or profanity).
- chepaslaaa 7y ago
  The highest end concentrates are only available on the black/grey market currently, and if you have some skilled growers in your relationship circle you can access some much better stuff (more potent and/or grown with less chemical additives, not to mention a much fresher curing process and a more thorough trimming job) than whatever is the highest end stuff they sell in the stores. They have put a limit on potency and their regulations mean that the weed they sell in stores in way too dry once it reaches costumers. It's not the biggest deal to most people and better than putting people behind bars, but there could also be a much better craft cannabis culture that could be promoted by small businesses rather than the corporate consolidation the liberal party is currently encouraging. In my opinion it would make users build a healthier rapport to this drug, in the same way that getting into fancy wine as well as craft beers and spirits can lead to a more gastronomic approach to alcohol than drinking coors light and vodka.
  - ehsankia 7y ago
    Other than the potency limit, what limits legal stores from fixing all the other issues (bad trimming job, dry, chemical additives, craft cannabis, etc). It just seems like since it's new and everyone's jumping to buy it, there's more focus on quantity right now, but maybe as the market gets more competitive that'll change. I don't see why it'd be different to, for example, Starbucks vs your local quality coffee shop, both co-existing.
    - chepaslaaa 7y ago
      Imagine a paradigm our local coffee shop isn't legally allowed to operate and Tim Hortons is ran by the government.
      - ehsankia 7y ago
        Again, other than the potency, I'm asking, what stops the "local coffee shop" to legally be allowed to operate? What stops from a local place charging more to do a better job at quality? If there's demand for it, I'm sure it'll eventually pop up.
    - 7y ago
- disordinary 7y ago
  It's the danger that we're getting as these global companies have more influence over the entire planet. The morality of the home country is pushed on those who want to use the service. Same thing with the whole Google / Huawei stoush. US priorities have an impact on users all over the world.
  - latch 7y ago
    The morality of the largest economies (generally backed by the largest military) has always been pushed onto others. Isn't this the way the world has worked since the dawn of the first civilizations? Not you specifically, but most people on HN have probably been the overwhelming beneficiaries of this approach.
    - omegaworks 7y ago
      > Not you specifically, but most people on HN have probably been the overwhelming beneficiaries of this approach. That doesn't make it right.
    - lone_haxx0r 7y ago
      Do you say that because most people on HN live in the USA and other developed countries? Just curious.
      - bsamuels 7y ago
        that's probably why he's saying that, yes
    - Barrin92 7y ago
      >Isn't this the way the world has worked since the dawn of the first civilizations? Not really, for most of humanity's history people could barely even figure out what happened on the other side of the mountain or the sea. The extreme degree of globalisation that carries these policies and attitudes across the globe is pretty new. It wasn't even the case in the 60s or 70s say. It's predominantly online markets that are dominated by individual companies, control used to be significantly more national.
- buildzr 7y ago
  Sounds like they're actually only banning delivery apps, even in Canada most (if not all?) of the delivery services being offered by Weedmaps for example are illegal. In most provinces you'd need to order from a provincially run store or go through the medical system where you can order from a specific licensed producer to get it legally by mail. https://www.androidpolice.com/2019/05/29/no-chill-google-just-banned-marijuana-delivery-apps-from-the-play-store/ https://www.androidpolice.com/2019/05/29/no-chill-google-jus...
  - rando444 7y ago
    If you read the article, they say it's anything marijuana related that has a shopping cart. The apps are legal as long as google isn't the one processing money from drug related transactions. Which, while disappointing, does make sense.
sanxiyn 7y ago
This is disappointing indeed.
paxys 7y ago
And yet a large chunk of Google employees and executives enjoy all of the freedoms provided to them in the state of California, including legal marijuana.
- shard972 7y ago
  Weren't they handing it out in one of their TGIF's? The one post trump election that was leaked?
- asveikau 7y ago
  That one is at least ambiguous, as it is still federally illegal in the whole US. I think the Canadian example cited elsewhere is less ambiguous.
- ehsankia 7y ago
  But what does that have to do with anything? I'm sure they also enjoy porn on their free time too, but that doesn't mean they have to allow it in their ads and apps.
  - madaxe_again 7y ago
    “Do as I say, not as I do” is commonly known as “hypocrisy”. It’s generally not seen as a desirable trait in many cultures.
    - dymk 7y ago
      It’s not hypocritical to cover your ass in markets where it’s not legal, it’s just good business sense.
  - acct1771 7y ago
    But it's just as hypocritical.
    - komali2 7y ago
      Is it? I'd buy weed but not sell it. I'll watch porn but not produce it. I'll read a book but not write one.
NorthOf33rd 7y ago
I'll miss venmo. This article is a bit thin on details. is this just black market? All sales? something else?
seibelj 7y ago
On the one hand, cryptocurrency / decentralization / blockchain is a huge joke-scam. On the other hand, giant centralized corporations have monopolies and unilaterally decide what can and cannot be accessed. Google has even banned ad blocker extensions! Can HN commenters ever embrace a new model of business? Or will they forever suck the FAANG breast?
- techntoke 7y ago
  They didn't ban adblocker extensions. You're just parroting propaganda.
  - dang 7y ago
    We've already asked you not to do personal attacks here. Regardless of how misinformed someone else is, please post civilly and substantively, or not at all. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
    - techntoke 7y ago
      This isn't a personal attack. It is about the propaganda that was posted around the same time as this that said Google was blocking ad-block extensions, and then like 5+ other frontpage articles popped up telling everyone to switch to Firefox. I find it creepy that you follow me around looking for things to warn me about.
      - dang 7y ago
        "You're just parroting propaganda" counts as a personal attack here, and we ban users who repeatedly do this. I am not following you around or even remembering you. If you keep getting moderation replies, it's because you keep breaking the guidelines. Would you please review https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and follow them from now on, so we don't have to ban you?
- b_tterc_p 7y ago
techntoke 7y ago
But did they get rid of the apps to buy shrooms?
- throwitawayfam 7y ago
  Have an example?
ta1234567890 7y ago
Someone I know started a b2b business in the marijuana industry. Tried doing google ads and got all their ads blocked. Every time they reached out to support they gave them a different reason for blocking the ad. And every time after complying and re-submitting, the ads would get blocked again. Finally they gave up on Google ads.
- bradleyhb 7y ago
  Link to the business please?
- throwaway66666 7y ago
  I bought and sold stock from a Marijuana ETF when they first got introduced. And 3 days later my bank called me and told me I cannot do it again. Of course I immediately tried doing it again after the call, but the online brokerage system would return an error. So, if I can't trade stock from weed-related business, but those tickers are listed and valid on NASDAQ (which is an american index), who can?
mastrsushi 7y ago
Has anyone opposing this action thought maybe an aggressively competitive tech corporation doesn't want to be held liable for assisting in distribution of a drug that isn't nationwide legal? They have way larger concerns than worrying about this.
- paxys 7y ago
  Big national banks and credit card providers now openly take and store payments for marijuana dispensaries. Companies happily provide them with insurance and mortgages. There are mutual funds and ETFs on national exchanges that invest in such businesses (and you can buy into them as well, from anywhere in the country). Somehow I don't think Google is scared of getting into trouble for allowing an app that has a web browser with a reference to marijuana. It is a moral stance, nothing else.
  - mastrsushi 7y ago
    I think it's a combination of liability and PR. These may be apps for legal dispensaries, but that's by state. Obviously there is no use for the app outside of the legal zone, but does thet really look good? Yes, a lot of modern apps are turning into embedded blink and v8 solutions that port existing websites. Regardless these "apps" are still directly related to marijuana. I dont think it's a moral stance, I think Google doesn't want to be visibly apart of it. Financial institutions are a lot more private and ambiguous in their weed assistance.
  - m-ee 7y ago
    Happily is an overstatement. Access to banking and finance is still a major issue for dispensaries.
  - j16sdiz 7y ago
    Banks are not allowed to serve the cannabis business directly. Although there are plan to change that soon https://www.marketwatch.com/story/push-for-legislation-allowing-banks-to-serve-the-cannabis-business-is-gaining-momentum-2019-05-20 https://www.marketwatch.com/story/push-for-legislation-allow...
  - 7y ago
brooklyntribe 7y ago
And what coder at Google is not a weekend stoner. I'm sure they're having a laugh at this one.
- oh_sigh 7y ago
  I'm not a weekend stoner. More of a weekday type to make the drudgery more entertaining.
  - Stratoscope 7y ago
    Back in the day, we used code words so no one would know what we were talking about. Our favorite code word was "programmer's fuel."
    - sk0g 7y ago
      In my mind, that can only be one of the four: Adderall/ Dexies, weed, alcohol, or maybe coffee. Not sure the code word is subtle enough!
      - buildzr 7y ago
        I mean, there's the old joke about programmers being machines that convert coffee into code. I think it's pretty safe.
        deleted 7y ago
        [deleted]
    - King-Aaron 7y ago
      I still find myself using the old how I met your mother one - Let's go out for a sandwich!
    - tzakrajs 7y ago
      I call it allergies
Simulacra 7y ago
This is a bit asinine, they’ll have to ban messaging apps and everything because it all does the same thing.
oh_sigh 7y ago
Thank goodness they shut this down quick. It's not like this was just a straightforward app designed to keep tabs on your chattel, I mean female family members. Marijuana actually hurts people!
- amolo 7y ago
  >Marijuana actually hurts people! How old are you again
  - cortesoft 7y ago
    The comment is pretty clearly sarcasm.
- rblatz 7y ago
  I got the sarcasm in this post, but it seems like it went over a lot of heads.
- DonHopkins 7y ago
  Lift the bales with you legs, not your back.
RaceWon 7y ago
For the love of god can we please make weed legal here in the US? Anyone, anywhere can buy weed at anytime, and its been that way for like 50 fuckin years now. Can we all agree that the war on weed is over, and the US Gov't lost. WTF!!
alex- 7y ago
My guess is it's less about a moral issue with marijuana and more about a fear of upsetting people displaying the adds. Many of whom won't want to be associated with something federally illegal. The alternative headline being "Google displays illegal drug adds on school site" (or some other page that probably should not be showing ads)
- paxys 7y ago
  This has nothing to do with advertising. It applies to apps in the Play store.
  - alex- 7y ago
    Not sure how I missed that, thanks.
buildzr 7y ago
Wonder what they mean by "facilitate"? Were certain mail order places offering apps they're banning? directly taking payments? Or are they seriously going after stuff like Weedmaps that just offers references to places that sell.
- Marsymars 7y ago
  Better source with answers to those questions: https://www.androidpolice.com/2019/05/29/no-chill-google-just-banned-marijuana-delivery-apps-from-the-play-store/ https://www.androidpolice.com/2019/05/29/no-chill-google-jus...
- AstralStorm 7y ago
  I'd call that free advertisement, good old Sturgeon's effect.
throes_death 7y ago
Thank goodness I just use skype and email to communicate with my dealer. Oh, hang on, they're applications too :S
cabalamat 7y ago
But apps that track women in Saudi Arabia are just fine.
bayareanative 7y ago
More than likely, Google's lawyers were worried about DA's in various US states, cities or feds going after them. This has little or nothing to do with "morality" or "ethics." This is CYA, not a moral panic.
- slavik81 7y ago
  It has become a real problem for Canadians visiting the States[1]. The US government doesn't seem to care whether it's legal in Canada or not. Presumably that's because the law is written such that foreign legality is irrelevant. [1]: https://www.thestar.com/vancouver/2018/07/05/canadian-cannabis-workers-targeted-by-us-border-guards-for-lifetime-bans.html https://www.thestar.com/vancouver/2018/07/05/canadian-cannab...
  - fuzz4lyfe 7y ago
    I'd hope they would apply this rule to people who engage in sex tourism with children, legal in that nation or not for example. At the federal level the crime of cannabis distribution is on the same level as that.
    - Nasrudith 7y ago
      It does already - I looked it up. It even applies to interstate lines with varied age of consent - although it is a bit more intent based and grayer. For example - going from say California - an 18 age of consent state to sleep with a 16 year old in Nevada is illegal sex tourism. Likewise bringing a 16 year old from California to Nevada to try to evade the age of consent is illegal. But going to Nevada from California and sleeping with a 16 year old while not there for that purpose (say on a business trip) would be legal.
- klausjensen 7y ago
  I looked it up so you don't have to: CYA => Cover Your Ass. :)
michaelbuckbee 7y ago
This is a matter of geographic laws conflicting with worldwide applicability and something we're seeing more and more of, both with things like GDPR but also certain states having much tighter regulations around things like biometrics. In that light, it's interesting to see what Google has done with things like their Arts and Culture app, which has a "take a selfie and see what artwork you most resemble" feature. That feature (but not the whole app) is disabled if they detect that you're within the bounds of Illinois which has some of the strictest regulations about personal data.
notus 7y ago
It's dumb, but all they have to do is put the shopping cart on a responsive website instead, minor inconvenience.
GreaterFool 7y ago
I've been spending some time in California and I noticed a worrying trend that it gets harder and harder to purchase marijuana. ID requirements are getting more onerous, MasterCard no longer accepted, etc. Things are going backwards!
- callmeal 7y ago
  Dispensaries cannot accept credit cards because the federal banking system is off limits to them. But as far as id requirements go, you can walk into any dispensary with a valid California drivers license (haven't really tried with out of state ones), and cash purchase anything they have in stock.
- wcarron 7y ago
  ID requirements more onerous? Not sure what you mean. You simply need to show a State ID verifying you are 21 or older. I've sure noticed many more dispensaries requiring ID instead of just..."forgetting to check", but that's not the same thing.
Kinnard 7y ago
Well, this is a request for a startup!
harry8 7y ago
Better ban signal. Do you want that wrapped in "fighting terrorism", "war on drugs" or "think of the children". We google should not be in a position of power to decide what is allowable and what is not. That is for elected officials. If they have more than reasonable influence, break them up. Same for any group of people anywhere. Get elected.
- plemer 7y ago
  By using their services, we elect them. Still, yes, citizens could attempt to effect government intervention. But probably the average person has more leverage as a consumer than as a political actor.
  - harry8 7y ago
    Nope. They have market power. If there's 30 equivalent services to choose from and using none is also a viable option there's no market power and no issue. I hope they get rich without market power but it's of no significance to me. As soon as they (for all values of they) have market power and can have a huge effect over what you can and can't do - they need to be bound by law and regulation. This is the textbook definition of market failure. Libertarians and Bernie should see it much the same way. I personally believe you keep regulation the hell out it until you have market failure (so I'm not with bernie) - which this is, they're enacting defacto laws and taxes on the population here for an agenda not agreed to by that population. Same as if standard oil could tell you where you could drive your car. Same as if your electricity company could tell you what you are allowed to read with your electric lights. Same as if your phone company dropped your call for saying "fk" out loud. Market failure is a thing that happens often (public goods, property rights enforcement, industries that tend to monopoly) and we bring in regulation when it does and watch those regulators closely(!!) We have elections to make sure the regulation is done in a way that we can live with.
- tssva 7y ago
  Elected officials in Google's home country have made the decision. They decided to make marijuana illegal at the national level, they decided to make facilitating financial transactions supporting sales of illegal drugs also illegal and they have repeatedly choosen not to change those laws. More recently elected officials have decided to appoint law enforcement officials that are less willing to overlook violation of federal drug laws in states that have legalized marijuana at a state level. It is this later move which has most likely made Google decide to make the changes in their content policy. So in effect Google is doing exactly as you suggested, allowing elected officials to make this decision.
DonHopkins 7y ago
I can't use gmail to communicate with my weed dealer any more? Damn.
julienreszka 7y ago
Just build progressive web apps already, break app store duopoly
eadmund 7y ago
A key difference between Android and iOS: on Android, there are alternatives to Google’s app store; on iOS there are not. So it would be entirely possible for someone who lives in a country where marijuana is legal and wishes to facilitate the legal industry there to set up an app store (cloning F-Droid could be a quick start) which offered such apps. He'd be out of luck on iOS. The federal marijuana laws are — mostly — blatantly unconstitutional, of course, but they are still on the books. I don't blame Google for not wanting to litigate the issue; their lawyers are probably acutely aware of the Backpage case.
villgax 7y ago
Is Messenger getting banned?
pythonwutang 7y ago
Are these apps available on the Apple App Store?
jammygit 7y ago
I’m literally texting a friend today about helping him with his legal Canadian pot site. The importance of the “open web” sure got more concrete today What is the real world small business alternative to the play Store - progressive web apps? Fdroid?
Jerbyjoober 7y ago
But yet they have booze delivery apps all throughout the Play Store. They said no cannabis because the Play Store is for kids. But I suppose quick booze delivery is fine for "their" kids. “At Google Play, we’re committed to providing a positive, safe environment for children and families,” the blog post read. “…After taking input from users and developers we are evolving our Google Play policies to provide additional protections for children and families.”
ryanthedev 7y ago
Time to convert to PWAs
- dredmorbius 7y ago
  PWA?

195 points by Illniyar 7y ago

ksaj 7y ago

Illegal markets? It is legal in all of Canada, in pretty much the way alcohol is. Are the apps unavailable in Canada where the legal pot (which is in some cases far superior to the shaggy bits one would get on the streets) comes from government certified sources? But then again, I haven't seen a Google booze ad. Do they allow alcohol ads?

ilikehurdles 7y ago
They allow Drizly, an alcohol delivery app.
- floatingatoll 7y ago
  Do they knowingly allow it and have affirmed publicly that such apps are okay? Or, have they silently permitted it on their App Store but never openly said “this is fine”?
  - ckorhonen 7y ago
    Considering they have actively featured some of alcohol delivery apps in the store at some point (either at the Food and Drink category level, or in a "Plan that Memorial Day BBQ" type curation), then I assume that it is fine? It maybe starts to get a bit more hairy since some of them now also sell tobacco and CBD products alongside the alcohol.
    - floatingatoll 7y ago
      There's a big difference between "An official Google blog post said it's okay", to the same level of certainty as the pot post linked above, and "An app store curator selected an app". App store curators are likely independent contractors hired by a third-party management firm, for one. They're not quite clear about whether "featured apps" are endorsed by Google or merely selected by "staff" (a term that usually includes contractors), but I imagine if you made a fuss about "Google promotes XYZ evil app", they would quietly update the legalese to say that "featured" does not imply "endorsed" or similar. https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/1295940?hl=en https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answ...
- shard972 7y ago
  Well hey, that's illegal in Iran, so might as well ban it from the google store.
duskwuff 7y ago
> Do they allow alcohol ads? https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/6012382 https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/6012382 Surprisingly, the answer is "yes". But alcohol ads can only be shown on sites which have explicitly opted in to alcohol ads, which most sites don't.
- dmix 7y ago
  Which demonstrates the benefit of having decentralized websites deciding which ads are okay rather than one centralized global distribution platform deciding what's "acceptable content" for every app uploaded there.
  - duskwuff 7y ago
    I'm not sure this demonstrates anything of the sort. Google delegates this specific decision to AdSense partners, but there are plenty of other categories of ads which Google prohibits outright (like guns, pornography, or profanity).
chepaslaaa 7y ago
The highest end concentrates are only available on the black/grey market currently, and if you have some skilled growers in your relationship circle you can access some much better stuff (more potent and/or grown with less chemical additives, not to mention a much fresher curing process and a more thorough trimming job) than whatever is the highest end stuff they sell in the stores. They have put a limit on potency and their regulations mean that the weed they sell in stores in way too dry once it reaches costumers. It's not the biggest deal to most people and better than putting people behind bars, but there could also be a much better craft cannabis culture that could be promoted by small businesses rather than the corporate consolidation the liberal party is currently encouraging. In my opinion it would make users build a healthier rapport to this drug, in the same way that getting into fancy wine as well as craft beers and spirits can lead to a more gastronomic approach to alcohol than drinking coors light and vodka.
- ehsankia 7y ago
  Other than the potency limit, what limits legal stores from fixing all the other issues (bad trimming job, dry, chemical additives, craft cannabis, etc). It just seems like since it's new and everyone's jumping to buy it, there's more focus on quantity right now, but maybe as the market gets more competitive that'll change. I don't see why it'd be different to, for example, Starbucks vs your local quality coffee shop, both co-existing.
  - chepaslaaa 7y ago
    Imagine a paradigm our local coffee shop isn't legally allowed to operate and Tim Hortons is ran by the government.
    - ehsankia 7y ago
      Again, other than the potency, I'm asking, what stops the "local coffee shop" to legally be allowed to operate? What stops from a local place charging more to do a better job at quality? If there's demand for it, I'm sure it'll eventually pop up.
  - 7y ago
disordinary 7y ago
It's the danger that we're getting as these global companies have more influence over the entire planet. The morality of the home country is pushed on those who want to use the service. Same thing with the whole Google / Huawei stoush. US priorities have an impact on users all over the world.
- latch 7y ago
  The morality of the largest economies (generally backed by the largest military) has always been pushed onto others. Isn't this the way the world has worked since the dawn of the first civilizations? Not you specifically, but most people on HN have probably been the overwhelming beneficiaries of this approach.
  - omegaworks 7y ago
    > Not you specifically, but most people on HN have probably been the overwhelming beneficiaries of this approach. That doesn't make it right.
  - lone_haxx0r 7y ago
    Do you say that because most people on HN live in the USA and other developed countries? Just curious.
    - bsamuels 7y ago
      that's probably why he's saying that, yes
  - Barrin92 7y ago
    >Isn't this the way the world has worked since the dawn of the first civilizations? Not really, for most of humanity's history people could barely even figure out what happened on the other side of the mountain or the sea. The extreme degree of globalisation that carries these policies and attitudes across the globe is pretty new. It wasn't even the case in the 60s or 70s say. It's predominantly online markets that are dominated by individual companies, control used to be significantly more national.
buildzr 7y ago
Sounds like they're actually only banning delivery apps, even in Canada most (if not all?) of the delivery services being offered by Weedmaps for example are illegal. In most provinces you'd need to order from a provincially run store or go through the medical system where you can order from a specific licensed producer to get it legally by mail. https://www.androidpolice.com/2019/05/29/no-chill-google-just-banned-marijuana-delivery-apps-from-the-play-store/ https://www.androidpolice.com/2019/05/29/no-chill-google-jus...
- rando444 7y ago
  If you read the article, they say it's anything marijuana related that has a shopping cart. The apps are legal as long as google isn't the one processing money from drug related transactions. Which, while disappointing, does make sense.

sanxiyn 7y ago

This is disappointing indeed.

paxys 7y ago

And yet a large chunk of Google employees and executives enjoy all of the freedoms provided to them in the state of California, including legal marijuana.

shard972 7y ago
Weren't they handing it out in one of their TGIF's? The one post trump election that was leaked?
asveikau 7y ago
That one is at least ambiguous, as it is still federally illegal in the whole US. I think the Canadian example cited elsewhere is less ambiguous.
ehsankia 7y ago
But what does that have to do with anything? I'm sure they also enjoy porn on their free time too, but that doesn't mean they have to allow it in their ads and apps.
- madaxe_again 7y ago
  “Do as I say, not as I do” is commonly known as “hypocrisy”. It’s generally not seen as a desirable trait in many cultures.
  - dymk 7y ago
    It’s not hypocritical to cover your ass in markets where it’s not legal, it’s just good business sense.
- acct1771 7y ago
  But it's just as hypocritical.
  - komali2 7y ago
    Is it? I'd buy weed but not sell it. I'll watch porn but not produce it. I'll read a book but not write one.

NorthOf33rd 7y ago

I'll miss venmo. This article is a bit thin on details. is this just black market? All sales? something else?

seibelj 7y ago

On the one hand, cryptocurrency / decentralization / blockchain is a huge joke-scam. On the other hand, giant centralized corporations have monopolies and unilaterally decide what can and cannot be accessed. Google has even banned ad blocker extensions! Can HN commenters ever embrace a new model of business? Or will they forever suck the FAANG breast?

techntoke 7y ago
They didn't ban adblocker extensions. You're just parroting propaganda.
- dang 7y ago
  We've already asked you not to do personal attacks here. Regardless of how misinformed someone else is, please post civilly and substantively, or not at all. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
  - techntoke 7y ago
    This isn't a personal attack. It is about the propaganda that was posted around the same time as this that said Google was blocking ad-block extensions, and then like 5+ other frontpage articles popped up telling everyone to switch to Firefox. I find it creepy that you follow me around looking for things to warn me about.
    - dang 7y ago
      "You're just parroting propaganda" counts as a personal attack here, and we ban users who repeatedly do this. I am not following you around or even remembering you. If you keep getting moderation replies, it's because you keep breaking the guidelines. Would you please review https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and follow them from now on, so we don't have to ban you?
b_tterc_p 7y ago

techntoke 7y ago

But did they get rid of the apps to buy shrooms?

throwitawayfam 7y ago
Have an example?

ta1234567890 7y ago

Someone I know started a b2b business in the marijuana industry. Tried doing google ads and got all their ads blocked. Every time they reached out to support they gave them a different reason for blocking the ad. And every time after complying and re-submitting, the ads would get blocked again. Finally they gave up on Google ads.

bradleyhb 7y ago
Link to the business please?
throwaway66666 7y ago
I bought and sold stock from a Marijuana ETF when they first got introduced. And 3 days later my bank called me and told me I cannot do it again. Of course I immediately tried doing it again after the call, but the online brokerage system would return an error. So, if I can't trade stock from weed-related business, but those tickers are listed and valid on NASDAQ (which is an american index), who can?

mastrsushi 7y ago

Has anyone opposing this action thought maybe an aggressively competitive tech corporation doesn't want to be held liable for assisting in distribution of a drug that isn't nationwide legal? They have way larger concerns than worrying about this.

paxys 7y ago
Big national banks and credit card providers now openly take and store payments for marijuana dispensaries. Companies happily provide them with insurance and mortgages. There are mutual funds and ETFs on national exchanges that invest in such businesses (and you can buy into them as well, from anywhere in the country). Somehow I don't think Google is scared of getting into trouble for allowing an app that has a web browser with a reference to marijuana. It is a moral stance, nothing else.
- mastrsushi 7y ago
  I think it's a combination of liability and PR. These may be apps for legal dispensaries, but that's by state. Obviously there is no use for the app outside of the legal zone, but does thet really look good? Yes, a lot of modern apps are turning into embedded blink and v8 solutions that port existing websites. Regardless these "apps" are still directly related to marijuana. I dont think it's a moral stance, I think Google doesn't want to be visibly apart of it. Financial institutions are a lot more private and ambiguous in their weed assistance.
- m-ee 7y ago
  Happily is an overstatement. Access to banking and finance is still a major issue for dispensaries.
- j16sdiz 7y ago
  Banks are not allowed to serve the cannabis business directly. Although there are plan to change that soon https://www.marketwatch.com/story/push-for-legislation-allowing-banks-to-serve-the-cannabis-business-is-gaining-momentum-2019-05-20 https://www.marketwatch.com/story/push-for-legislation-allow...
- 7y ago

brooklyntribe 7y ago

And what coder at Google is not a weekend stoner. I'm sure they're having a laugh at this one.

oh_sigh 7y ago
I'm not a weekend stoner. More of a weekday type to make the drudgery more entertaining.
- Stratoscope 7y ago
  Back in the day, we used code words so no one would know what we were talking about. Our favorite code word was "programmer's fuel."
  - sk0g 7y ago
    In my mind, that can only be one of the four: Adderall/ Dexies, weed, alcohol, or maybe coffee. Not sure the code word is subtle enough!
    - buildzr 7y ago
      I mean, there's the old joke about programmers being machines that convert coffee into code. I think it's pretty safe.
      - deleted 7y ago
        [deleted]
  - King-Aaron 7y ago
    I still find myself using the old how I met your mother one - Let's go out for a sandwich!
  - tzakrajs 7y ago
    I call it allergies

Simulacra 7y ago

This is a bit asinine, they’ll have to ban messaging apps and everything because it all does the same thing.

oh_sigh 7y ago

Thank goodness they shut this down quick. It's not like this was just a straightforward app designed to keep tabs on your chattel, I mean female family members. Marijuana actually hurts people!

amolo 7y ago
>Marijuana actually hurts people! How old are you again
- cortesoft 7y ago
  The comment is pretty clearly sarcasm.
rblatz 7y ago
I got the sarcasm in this post, but it seems like it went over a lot of heads.
DonHopkins 7y ago
Lift the bales with you legs, not your back.

RaceWon 7y ago

For the love of god can we please make weed legal here in the US? Anyone, anywhere can buy weed at anytime, and its been that way for like 50 fuckin years now. Can we all agree that the war on weed is over, and the US Gov't lost. WTF!!

alex- 7y ago

My guess is it's less about a moral issue with marijuana and more about a fear of upsetting people displaying the adds. Many of whom won't want to be associated with something federally illegal. The alternative headline being "Google displays illegal drug adds on school site" (or some other page that probably should not be showing ads)

paxys 7y ago
This has nothing to do with advertising. It applies to apps in the Play store.
- alex- 7y ago
  Not sure how I missed that, thanks.

buildzr 7y ago

Wonder what they mean by "facilitate"? Were certain mail order places offering apps they're banning? directly taking payments? Or are they seriously going after stuff like Weedmaps that just offers references to places that sell.

Marsymars 7y ago
Better source with answers to those questions: https://www.androidpolice.com/2019/05/29/no-chill-google-just-banned-marijuana-delivery-apps-from-the-play-store/ https://www.androidpolice.com/2019/05/29/no-chill-google-jus...
AstralStorm 7y ago
I'd call that free advertisement, good old Sturgeon's effect.

throes_death 7y ago

Thank goodness I just use skype and email to communicate with my dealer. Oh, hang on, they're applications too :S

cabalamat 7y ago

But apps that track women in Saudi Arabia are just fine.

bayareanative 7y ago

More than likely, Google's lawyers were worried about DA's in various US states, cities or feds going after them. This has little or nothing to do with "morality" or "ethics." This is CYA, not a moral panic.

slavik81 7y ago
It has become a real problem for Canadians visiting the States[1]. The US government doesn't seem to care whether it's legal in Canada or not. Presumably that's because the law is written such that foreign legality is irrelevant. [1]: https://www.thestar.com/vancouver/2018/07/05/canadian-cannabis-workers-targeted-by-us-border-guards-for-lifetime-bans.html https://www.thestar.com/vancouver/2018/07/05/canadian-cannab...
- fuzz4lyfe 7y ago
  I'd hope they would apply this rule to people who engage in sex tourism with children, legal in that nation or not for example. At the federal level the crime of cannabis distribution is on the same level as that.
  - Nasrudith 7y ago
    It does already - I looked it up. It even applies to interstate lines with varied age of consent - although it is a bit more intent based and grayer. For example - going from say California - an 18 age of consent state to sleep with a 16 year old in Nevada is illegal sex tourism. Likewise bringing a 16 year old from California to Nevada to try to evade the age of consent is illegal. But going to Nevada from California and sleeping with a 16 year old while not there for that purpose (say on a business trip) would be legal.
klausjensen 7y ago
I looked it up so you don't have to: CYA => Cover Your Ass. :)

michaelbuckbee 7y ago

This is a matter of geographic laws conflicting with worldwide applicability and something we're seeing more and more of, both with things like GDPR but also certain states having much tighter regulations around things like biometrics. In that light, it's interesting to see what Google has done with things like their Arts and Culture app, which has a "take a selfie and see what artwork you most resemble" feature. That feature (but not the whole app) is disabled if they detect that you're within the bounds of Illinois which has some of the strictest regulations about personal data.

notus 7y ago

It's dumb, but all they have to do is put the shopping cart on a responsive website instead, minor inconvenience.

GreaterFool 7y ago

I've been spending some time in California and I noticed a worrying trend that it gets harder and harder to purchase marijuana. ID requirements are getting more onerous, MasterCard no longer accepted, etc. Things are going backwards!

callmeal 7y ago
Dispensaries cannot accept credit cards because the federal banking system is off limits to them. But as far as id requirements go, you can walk into any dispensary with a valid California drivers license (haven't really tried with out of state ones), and cash purchase anything they have in stock.
wcarron 7y ago
ID requirements more onerous? Not sure what you mean. You simply need to show a State ID verifying you are 21 or older. I've sure noticed many more dispensaries requiring ID instead of just..."forgetting to check", but that's not the same thing.

Kinnard 7y ago

Well, this is a request for a startup!

harry8 7y ago

Better ban signal. Do you want that wrapped in "fighting terrorism", "war on drugs" or "think of the children". We google should not be in a position of power to decide what is allowable and what is not. That is for elected officials. If they have more than reasonable influence, break them up. Same for any group of people anywhere. Get elected.

plemer 7y ago
By using their services, we elect them. Still, yes, citizens could attempt to effect government intervention. But probably the average person has more leverage as a consumer than as a political actor.
- harry8 7y ago
  Nope. They have market power. If there's 30 equivalent services to choose from and using none is also a viable option there's no market power and no issue. I hope they get rich without market power but it's of no significance to me. As soon as they (for all values of they) have market power and can have a huge effect over what you can and can't do - they need to be bound by law and regulation. This is the textbook definition of market failure. Libertarians and Bernie should see it much the same way. I personally believe you keep regulation the hell out it until you have market failure (so I'm not with bernie) - which this is, they're enacting defacto laws and taxes on the population here for an agenda not agreed to by that population. Same as if standard oil could tell you where you could drive your car. Same as if your electricity company could tell you what you are allowed to read with your electric lights. Same as if your phone company dropped your call for saying "fk" out loud. Market failure is a thing that happens often (public goods, property rights enforcement, industries that tend to monopoly) and we bring in regulation when it does and watch those regulators closely(!!) We have elections to make sure the regulation is done in a way that we can live with.
tssva 7y ago
Elected officials in Google's home country have made the decision. They decided to make marijuana illegal at the national level, they decided to make facilitating financial transactions supporting sales of illegal drugs also illegal and they have repeatedly choosen not to change those laws. More recently elected officials have decided to appoint law enforcement officials that are less willing to overlook violation of federal drug laws in states that have legalized marijuana at a state level. It is this later move which has most likely made Google decide to make the changes in their content policy. So in effect Google is doing exactly as you suggested, allowing elected officials to make this decision.

DonHopkins 7y ago

I can't use gmail to communicate with my weed dealer any more? Damn.

julienreszka 7y ago

Just build progressive web apps already, break app store duopoly

eadmund 7y ago

A key difference between Android and iOS: on Android, there are alternatives to Google’s app store; on iOS there are not. So it would be entirely possible for someone who lives in a country where marijuana is legal and wishes to facilitate the legal industry there to set up an app store (cloning F-Droid could be a quick start) which offered such apps. He'd be out of luck on iOS. The federal marijuana laws are — mostly — blatantly unconstitutional, of course, but they are still on the books. I don't blame Google for not wanting to litigate the issue; their lawyers are probably acutely aware of the Backpage case.

villgax 7y ago

Is Messenger getting banned?

pythonwutang 7y ago

Are these apps available on the Apple App Store?

jammygit 7y ago

I’m literally texting a friend today about helping him with his legal Canadian pot site. The importance of the “open web” sure got more concrete today What is the real world small business alternative to the play Store - progressive web apps? Fdroid?

Jerbyjoober 7y ago

But yet they have booze delivery apps all throughout the Play Store. They said no cannabis because the Play Store is for kids. But I suppose quick booze delivery is fine for "their" kids. “At Google Play, we’re committed to providing a positive, safe environment for children and families,” the blog post read. “…After taking input from users and developers we are evolving our Google Play policies to provide additional protections for children and families.”

ryanthedev 7y ago

Time to convert to PWAs

dredmorbius 7y ago
PWA?