Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online
Tired of dating apps that spend way too much time focusing on things like hobbies, career goals and family plans while completely ignoring the important things, like pot-smoking habits?
Todd Mitchem feels your pain, and that’s why he created High There, a new app that has been hailed as “Tinder for weed smokers” and allows people who enjoy using marijuana to bring up their habit without feeling like they’re being judged, according to various media reports.
The start-up is based in Colorado and is currently only available in the 23 US states where pot use has already been legalized in some form. Like Tinder, users swipe through profiles in order to find that special somewhat that they can share the rest of their lives with (or, at the very least, a quick hit off of a blunt), then message them using the build-in chat function.
Give potential dates the straight dope about yourself
All joking aside, users first need to input some basic profile information before they get started, and that includes detailed information about their weed consumption habits – i.e. whether they prefer to smoke or vaporize their weed, how they react under the influence, what kind of energy level they have when under the influence of cannabis, and related personal preferences.
Mitchem told Mashable that the inspiration for the app came when he was on a date that ended abruptly after his companion discovered that he smoked pot. With the topic taboo among much of the population, he recognized the need to create a dating service and social media app for those who legally enjoy the substance.
As he told the website last week, “We wanted to build a cool piece of technology that solved the problem of where do million and millions of cannabis consumers go to meet people, connect with people and build relationships. A lot of people say we’re the Tinder of weed, but that’s only one facet of the whole thing. It’s so much bigger.”
Not just for finding someone to commute to Taco Bell with
In addition to trying to help people make a love connection based on their mutual enjoyment of marijuana, Mitchem said that High There can help smokers share tips with one another, become friends with other like-minded individuals or even seek out recommendations on dispensaries in the area. It could also help medical marijuana users connect, according to The Guardian.
“The app is only available in the 23 states that currently have medical marijuana laws on the books – it uses geofencing to lock out people in other states – which Mitchem said is out of respect for law enforcement,” Mashable said. However, the CEO said that he hopes to ultimately expand to other states, as well as Canada and other nations, as their marijuana laws change.
High There is currently only available on Android, and can be downloaded for free directly from the Google Play store. A version for Apple’s iPhone and iPad is reportedly on the way, but as of now, no release date for the iOS version of the app has been officially announced.
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