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Microsoft is the first big company to say it's serving the legal marijuana trade

nytimes.com

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Re: Microsoft is the first big company to say it's serving the legal marijuana trade

#71

Post by chiph »

eunoia wrote: post #7
kbenson wrote: post #2

This makes sense. As a big player in enterprise, Microsoft is recognizing that there's a new industry that's vastly under served.

Massively underserved. I live in Denver and have friends with ownership stakes in local dispensaries. The quality of their software solutions (mainly POS/Compliance) is laughable. Edit: This ( http://www.mjfreeway.com/ ) is the defacto standard. I kid you not it went down for 2 weeks ~a year ago after scheduled maintenance went wrong. At the time it had ~50% market share, this left dispensaries around the country doi…

A friend of a friend was hired as a CFO at a dispensary, and pretty much had to create an entire accounting system from scratch. Cash management consisted of employees driving around to the store and collecting the money, as the armored car firms wouldn't accept their business. So he set up a subsidiary that went out and bought some armored cars and was able to safely transport the money, staffed with former military. .. they had the cash for it, so why not?

Re: Microsoft is the first big company to say it's serving the legal marijuana trade

#72

Post by Vexs »

hackuser wrote: post #65
delbel wrote: post #57

The system Oregon (and Colorado) uses for recreational is called METRC and is made by a company called Franwell. When I was at training, the spokes person actually asked for hands raised if anyone knew what a REST API was. Their seed-to-sale tracking system (required by law in Oregon), if used for food (just for example) would be able to tell you what corn field, and what corn plant, in Iowa, when and what fertilizer…

If you know: Do you think it is and will be effective? Could illegal vendors, such as Mexican organized crime, find a way into the industry? Let's not forget that organized crime has been involved in many legitimate industries.

Probably is- but if the RFID tag says a box weighs 50 pounds, and it comes in weighing 45 pounds, then you can throw up flags. Of course, there's always going to be ways around this sort of stuff, but you just have to raise the cost of getting around them just enough for it to be unprofitable.

Also, I've heard that cartel-grade MJ is terrible quality- local cultivation is probably pretty different then whatever shit they can grow.

Re: Microsoft is the first big company to say it's serving the legal marijuana trade

#73

Post by huac »

hackuser wrote: post #63
Shank wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Federally, it's still illegal. However, there have been statements that they aren't prosecuting or pursuing legal action in states that have legalized it [0]. [0]: http://www.denverpost.com/2013/08/29/federal-government-wont... Edit: For the record, it would still block you from getting a US Government security clearance, and you can still run drug tests on employees and decline them for failing.

Couldn't that policy be reversed by another president? For example, a President Cruz might not like the idea. In a way, Microsoft getting involved raises the cost of changing the policy; do they want to prosecute or otherwise upset a major corporation?

Yes.

Federal enforcement is carried out by the DOJ, which is an agency of the Executive Branch. The DOJ serves at the pleasure of the President, so while Obama chooses not to enforce this law currently, he (or the next President) could change their minds at any moment.

In practice, Microsoft is betting on their lobbyists to ensure a stable regulatory climate.

Re: Microsoft is the first big company to say it's serving the legal marijuana trade

#74

Post by mikestew »

shimon wrote: post #52
mikestew wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IRS refuses to interact with marijuana businesses That's not even remotely true, as even 30 years ago the IRS happily took my money, and did so without telling anyone else where the money came from. I mean, maybe it's changed since, but when it comes to "IRS won't take my money", ima gonna have to pull the "citation needed" card.

In the mid-80s, you reported income to the IRS as coming from a marijuana business? Bold move. Is there a statutory prohibition on the IRS sharing this info with other law enforcement agencies? Where is the line, i.e. would you expect confidentiality if you reported proceeds from your work as a hitman?

In the mid-80s, you reported income to the IRS as coming from a marijuana business? Bold move.

In the mid-80s I had income that would not ordinarily go on a W2 or a 1099. I had reason to take them at their word and file. All I'm saying is that the IRS doesn't care where the money comes from, as long as they get their cut, and I have experience to back this up.

All it takes is one story to the contrary to turn this into urban legend, and the IRS doesn't get as much money anymore. They're a debt collection agency, I had/have little reason to doubt that they just want their money.

Re: Microsoft is the first big company to say it's serving the legal marijuana trade

#75

Post by will_brown »

dragonwriter wrote: post #58

There is no legal marijuana trade in the US, as all marijuana trade is criminal under federal law, and it's generally a crime to knowingly profit from a crime (and, since drug offenses are covered in RICO, it's another crime to use any profits tired to them in the operation of any business engaged in interstate commerce.) Microsoft may be keeping distant enough not to worry (though perhaps not given their formal part…

> as all marijuana trade is criminal under federal law

You may be right because of the word trade; however, the Federal government itself has authorized the growing (University of Mississippi) and interstate distribution of legal marijuana since 1976 through CIND.

Not trying to split hairs, because the total patient list has probably always been under a dozen people, but it is still an interesting fact and one I only know of because I randomly represented one of the Federal patients in a corporate capacity. Each patient dosage is individualized, and the Federal government gives my client 360 joints per month.

Re: Microsoft is the first big company to say it's serving the legal marijuana trade

#76

Post by hguant »

xiaoma wrote: post #64
dragonwriter wrote: post #58

There is no legal marijuana trade in the US, as all marijuana trade is criminal under federal law, and it's generally a crime to knowingly profit from a crime (and, since drug offenses are covered in RICO, it's another crime to use any profits tired to them in the operation of any business engaged in interstate commerce.) Microsoft may be keeping distant enough not to worry (though perhaps not given their formal part…

It also depends on the judiciary.

"The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people."

I don't think this means what you think it means. A quick glance at wikipedia expands and explains:

The Ninth Amendment explicitly bars denial of unenumerated rights if the denial is based on the enumeration of certain rights in the Constitution, but this amendment does not explicitly bar denial of unenumerated rights if the denial is based on the enumeration of certain powers in the Constitution.

What unenumerated right is being infringed here?

One could suppose the right you're referring to is that of the individual states to create their own laws...except the Constitution covers that one in Article VI, clause 2:

This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing [sic] in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.

Or the right of the states to regulate trade...

[The Congress shall have Power] To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;

...hmmm.

The problem is that a) weed is illegal in the United States under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) (21 U.S.C. § 811) b) the President of the United States has decided not to enforce this law (in violation of Article III clause 5: "he shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed"). This had led to a murky situation where the laws that apply to a local company are very very different from the laws that a multinational entity like Microsoft has to worry about. I'd be very interested to see what happens in the long run here.

Re: Microsoft is the first big company to say it's serving the legal marijuana trade

#77

Post by thaumasiotes »

vegabook wrote: post #18

Wow Microsoft is tickin' all the cool boxes under Nadella. Never seen such a radical, and it seems, effective, corpo image turnaround. Open source? Check. Ubuntu on Windows? Check. Contribute to BSD? Check. Progressive on pot? Check. Defeat the bots? Check. Gates on chickens? Check. This company is sick/dope/ice cold cool.

Ads delivered to your computer by Windows? Check.

I'd rather have the old Microsoft back. :/

Re: Microsoft is the first big company to say it's serving the legal marijuana trade

#79

Post by sib »

chris11 wrote: post #45
mikestew wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IRS refuses to interact with marijuana businesses That's not even remotely true, as even 30 years ago the IRS happily took my money, and did so without telling anyone else where the money came from. I mean, maybe it's changed since, but when it comes to "IRS won't take my money", ima gonna have to pull the "citation needed" card.

Are you saying that you made money selling drugs, told the IRS that the money was made illegally and nothing happened? I've heard that the IRS definitely focuses on collecting tax money and not how it was made, but I thought that people technically never admitted to anything when declaring illegal income sources. It looks like the applicable part on a 1040 would be line 21, which just asks for "other sources of incom…

During the course of facilitating a tax audit of a startup I worked at some years ago, I was told by the IRS agent conducting the audit that they in fact have an entire group of agents focused on compliance and audit for prostitutes. It turns out that the IRS' job is to collect money, not to make sure that rules established by other parts of the government are followed ;)

Re: Microsoft is the first big company to say it's serving the legal marijuana trade

#80

Post by kafkaesq »

dragonwriter wrote: post #58

There is no legal marijuana trade in the US, as all marijuana trade is criminal under federal law, and it's generally a crime to knowingly profit from a crime (and, since drug offenses are covered in RICO, it's another crime to use any profits tired to them in the operation of any business engaged in interstate commerce.) Microsoft may be keeping distant enough not to worry (though perhaps not given their formal part…

There is no legal marijuana trade in the US,

You mean interstate trade, of course.

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