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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

#61

Post by shimon »

semi-extrinsic wrote: post #50
blackguardx wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The IRS explicitly states that you need to declare bribes and income from illegal activities [1] "Illegal activities. Income from illegal activities, such as money from dealing illegal drugs, must be included in your income on Form 1040, line 21, or on Schedule C or Schedule C-EZ (Form 1040) if from your self-employment activity." [1] https://www.irs.gov/publications/p17/ch12.html

That's just hilarious! Are you saying drug dealers actually report their income and pay taxes off it?

Of course not. This is just a clarification about another point of law that a typical drug dealer violates, which gives law enforcement yet another angle.

In some cases proving tax evasion is easier than proving other crimes. This is what got Al Capone -- because the crime was perpetrated through his organization and not by him directly, it would have been difficult to hold him directly responsible for the crimes. However, once his ledger was discovered it was straightforward to prove that he received significant income without making the required income tax payments.

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

#62

Post by ethbro »

CaptSpify wrote: post #34
TallGuyShort wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not that familiar with it, but part of the issue is that financial institutions above a certain size won't do business with them because it's still illegal at the federal level and they're afraid of the ambiguity. I wouldn't be surprised if that affected what PoS software they could use.

Large financial institutions still dont play nicely with internet porn, which really isnt that ambiguous legally. I think a lot of it is PR as well. They dont want to be associated with moraly ambiguous industries

A lot of this is a consequence of the George W Bush presidency, where the DoJ was encouraged to crack down on pornography using obscenity laws. From the histories I've read, one of the levers they used was informal pressure on financing institutions that served the distributors.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obscenity_Prosecution_Task_For...

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

#63

Post by hackuser »

Shank wrote: post #9
Drakim wrote: post #4

What is the legality of marijuana on the federal level in the US? I was under the impression that even if marijuana is legal on a state level you can still get in trouble for it.

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?

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

#64

Post by xiaoma »

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.

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

#65

Post by hackuser »

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.

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

#66

Post by hackuser »

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.

I'm pretty sure there are federal laws against aspects of the marijuana industry which have been long enforced by the judiciary.

Shipping it across state lines seems like an obvious example.

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

#67

Post by ethbro »

encoderer wrote: post #19
pilom wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is indeed illegal on the federal level. Currently everyone is just an executive order away from crack down on all of it. The guidance that the Obama Administration has been using is not to enforce the law in states where it has been legalized (though they have been cracking down on cases where dispensaries open within 1000 ft of a school). That said, a new president could do whatever they wanted and a crackdown wo…

I think you overstate the ease with which you go about putting toothpaste back into the tube.

http://lifehacks.stackexchange.com/questions/2221/whats-the-...

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

#68

Post by bdisraeli »

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.

This is totally wrong. Previous Supreme Court decisions, especially Gonzales v. Raich, have set a pretty clear precedent that the Federal Government has the authority to criminalize drugs even when their use is legal in a particular state.

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

#69

Post by huac »

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.

First, that's the 10th amendment. Second, the Supreme Court tested the 10th Amendment vs the Commerce Clause (which grants the USFG the ability to govern interstate commerce) in Gonzales vs Raich (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gonzales_v._Raich) and found that the Commerce Clause could cover marijuana sales and distribution (including medical, which was legal in California).

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

#70

Post by minikites »

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.

Has been and still is, probably.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/12/opinion/mike-rowe-somebodys-go...

> Rowe: "The segments I was most interested in doing but found the most resistance around was that of a rendering facility. ... the Mob is still involved in a surprising number of rendering facilities. Why the Mob has such a rich history in garbage-related industries and rendering-related industries is a conversation beyond my pay grade.

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