Considering the rapid growth of the legal marijuana industry—which is estimated to have easily topped $6 billion in sales last year—and the fact that public support for legal pot is at an all-time high, 4/20 is a day with significance to a seemingly sizable community. And as is the case with many large communities, technology plays increasingly important role in the marijuana world, especially when it comes to informing and connecting people online.
With that in mind, Fortune compiled a (far from comprehensive) list of some of the notable mobile apps out there targeting the cannabis industry and marijuana users. These apps cover a spectrum that includes everything from games to social media and interactive education and—not surprisingly—there’s room for a little romance as well.
The excitement around the cannabis industry means there are quite a few pot-related mobile app options out there, but here are few of the most notable options:
MassRoots
One of the most high-profile apps in this space is MassRoots, the social networking platform for cannabis users, whcih claims to have more than one million registered users and has taken steps toward an IPO on at least two separate occasions. But the Nasdaq exchange has yet to welcome CEO Isaac Dietrich’s company with open arms. MassRoots—which allows marijuana users to connect with one another, posting pot-related photos and videos, and even follow their favorite marijuana dispensaries—raised $5 million in equity financing last fall. It’s available for download on iOS and Android devices.
Other similar apps include: Duby, a social networking and private messaging app that dubs itself “your new smoke spot.”
Eaze
Eaze is ostensibly a marijuana delivery startup that’s drawn comparisons to Uber. The company’s app is aimed at tapping into the on-demand economy by helping medical marijuana dispensaries deliver products to their customers. But the Eaze app is very clear that the company “does not cultivate, distribute, or deliver medical marijuana,” and that the licensed dispensaries that work with the company are the ones actually handling the cannabis. Eaze is more of a facilitator, connecting patients (a.k.a. customers) with medical dispensaries throughout California so they can receive recommendations and order products. Last fall, Eaze closed a $13 million funding round led by venture capital firms Fresh VC, DCM Ventures, and Tusk Ventures. Rapper Snoop Dogg is also an investor.If just making friends with your fellow stoners isn’t enough, there are also opportunities for cannabis-friendly romance. HighThere!, dubbed the “Tinder for stoners,” seems to be a popular option. Aimed at “uniting cannabis users and enthusiasts with each other in a friendly and judgment-free environment,” HighThere! has more than 150,000 users who the app matches based on similar interests (including your preferred method of consuming cannabis).
Other similar apps include: 420 Singles, another dating app for marijuana enthusiasts that uses the right- or left-swiping method for matchmaking.
Leafly
Known as the “Yelp of weed” (sensing a trend here?), Leafly specializes in online reviews of both marijuana dispensaries and specific strains of cannabis, while also allowing you to locate all of the dispensaries in your area. The company claims the Leafly website, which also offers news and and e-commerce links for marijuana-related products like vaporizers and apparel, sees 10 million unique visitors each month. Leafly is owned by Privateer Holdings, the cannabis-focused investment firm that recently became the industry’s first to raise more than $100 million in financing.
Other similar apps include: Weedmaps, another Yelp-like app that allows users to search for nearby marijuana dispensaries and see photos and pricing options for the strains on sale.
WeGrow
WeGrow is a Colorado-based company that uses chatbot technology for an app aimed at helping users legally grow marijuana crops at home. (Rules for growing marijuana at home vary by state, with Colorado marijuana laws allowing residents over the age of 21 to grow up to six cannabis plants per person.) WeGrow connects users to experienced cultivators—as well as a “personal GrowBot” named Elle that interacts with users—to answer questions related to anything from the proper temperatures and nutrients for cannabis plants to the necessary home-growing equipment. Launched in December 2015, the company says the WeGrow app has about 8,200 downloads so far, resulting in more than 20,000 conversations with growers.
Other similar apps include: GrowBuddy is another app aimed at helping users grow their own legal marijuana plants at home. The app features a “grow journal” that lets users track and measure their plants’ progress.
credit:420intel.com
