High There!

A free homegrown app lets users cruise the cannabis causeway.

By Chris Arneson

You really want to get high. You’d like a new friend, too — possibly a hookup. Seems a little specific for most connection apps … but hang on: It’s 2015. Of course there’s an app for that … and it’s called High There!

The app itself is nothing new if you’ve used swiping platforms like Tinder or OKCupid. First, you build a profile, which is pretty easy if you just connect it to your Facebook — it even chooses a picture for you.

To start, you decide what you’re in the mood for: going out, staying in, or just chatting. (I selected chat mode.) Next, you select how you prefer to consume your cannabis: smoking, vaporizing, eating, or “it’s all good.” Then, pick your energy level: high, medium, or low. Weed makes me tired, truthfully, but I wondered if admitting so would deter people from talking to me. I went with medium.

For your interests, you have the option to meet other users who enjoy the outdoors, music, TV/ movies, culture, gaming, and food. When creating my profile, I chose everything, since (let’s be real) all those things appeal to me. The trouble is, these categories are pretty broad and don’t tell you too much about anyone. Besides, if you want to get high but don’t like food, please move along.

To finish it out, you can write your story. Aside from your photos (you can choose up to four), your story is really the only customizable part of your profile, and can include up to 420 characters. (Get it?)

For my photos, I chose a selfie of me running, one of me making out with my boyfriend, one of me mutilated in Evil Dead: The Musical, and another of me with a beard and glasses drinking an iced latte. I wanted to show my new stoner friends I’m interesting and full of variety. Also a homosexual.

My story was pretty simple: “I wanna meet more awesome people. Actor, writer. I smoke when it’s around.” I felt like my pictures told a better story anyway.

What’s missing from the profile is an area to clearly list your age. Also, while sexual preference may not seem super important when looking for a partner in partaking, let’s be honest – people want to use this app for stoned hookups.

Unlike Tinder, High There isn’t based on mutual matching. When you swipe a user to the right, they’re informed you like them … but you have no record of them unless they decide to message you back.

The first user to hit me up was JP, whose only interest was music. His energy was low and he preferred edibles. His story: “Hey all I’m a gay guy with a huge c**k.” While intriguing, I decided he wasn’t entirely worth pursuing.

Meanwhile, I continued to swipe interesting people. I appreciate that you can choose to include male, female, or both. Maybe it’s my familiarity with Tinder, but I had zero interest in browsing the female selection.

I soon learned my profile was a lot more intricate than most. A majority of users include one picture and barely any story (if they even wrote one). I was a bit frustrated with a technical glitch that caused some users to appear with the previous person’s photo, or to reappear when I’d already swiped them left.

One of my most interesting connections was Renae, a 39-year-old single mom looking for friends aged 35–45. I mean, I’m no twink, but I don’t think I look like I’m in my upper 30s. I had nothing to discuss with her.

Throughout several weeks of swiping, no one I chose to connect with decided to message me back. Every connection I replied to was left hanging. I’d made absolutely no progress except for adding another people-discovery app to my phone.

So, LGBT stoners, it’s your call. Maybe give it a few months for this one to really cultivate a selection. But until then, just stick to saying I’m #420 on Grindr.