Even in these more progressive times when legalization has been spreading globally, marijuana can still be a polarizing social element, especially when it comes to dating.
As a weed enthusiast and user of dating apps, I’ve experienced first hand how consuming marijuana — or at the very least, doing so frequently — can be an odd deal-breaker in what otherwise would be a pretty good dating match. Some people have preconceptions about pot, and while some of those stereotypes can be very truthful in a lot of cases, weed is just an element in a stoner’s life — a very present one, but just one of them. It just so happens to be one that, if already in place, sets up a connection between people that can sometimes transcend some of the most important things we look for in a person we date.
So, of course a dating app for weed smokers makes an enormous amount of sense.
High There is based in Colorado, where great stoner entrepreneur Todd Mitchem was inspired to create the app after a date blew him off mid-dinner when she found out he smoked weed.
“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,” Mitchem told Mashable. “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.”
It is much bigger. It’s just hard not to bond over weed. I’ve hung out with people whose interests, sense of humor and even fluent languages are not my own, and if we’re smoking together, a sense of community is usually palpable.
But High There also lets you bond over specifics within weed. If you prefer edibles or vaping over smoking, the app will likely match you with other users who are into your method of consumption. They will also match you according to your usual level of energy when using cannabis. If you’re enjoying a ridiculously strong indica and sort of slowly melting on the couch, you’d probably be a bummer for someone on a mad sativa high on a quest to explore the city. High There will take care of matching you with someone you can kick it with in your ideal mood.
The app currently works in 23 different US states where marijuana has been legalized in some form — at least medically — and it uses geo-fencing to lock people from other states for legal reasons, at least until they come to their senses and legalize it in those. The company has plans to expand to Canada and other countries as each place’s laws permit.
High There is available for Android devices and also on the Apple App Store.
