Washington State Liquor & Cannabis Board OK with Bitcoin for Pot

A Seattle Bitcoin merchant is seeking to move the local cannabis scene forward from cash-only payments by using the virtual currency instead. The aptly-named POSaBIT is currently installed at six outlets in the Washington State capital, with several others beyond. Customers use their credit or debit card to purchase Bitcoin, which is then used to pay for goods at the point of sale. “I saw an industry that was in dire need of a credit solution,” CEO and co-founder Ryan Hamlin, an ex-Microsoft executive, told local news resource Seattle Weekly. “I said, ‘Software has got to be able to solve....

Legislators gathered on Wednesday afternoon to hold a public hearing on a measure that would prohibit cannabis firms in the state of Washington from working with bitcoin. CoinDesk reported last week that SB 5264, a bill presented by two Washington state senators, would ban businesses working in the marijuana industry from both selling products for bitcoin as well as purchasing them with the digital currency. At the time, primary sponsor Sen. Ann Rivers said that the measure was intended to boost financial transparency to the state’s cannabis sector as part of an effort to “help move it out....

Silk Road may be dead, but in at least one Washington State city, people can still buy marijuana and related products using bitcoin. Medical marijuana dispensary Kouchlock Productions, which opened on Monday February 3, began accepting bitcoin for its wares this week. The dispensary, based in Spokane, is said to already have sold the drug in several bitcoin transactions. In Washington State, medical dispensaries were legalized in 1998, under initiative 692. This allows dispensaries to sell the drug to patients with terminal or debilitating medical conditions including cancer, HIV-positive....

The cannabis industry in the United States may soon face a ban on cryptocurrency usage. Marijuana, the wonder plant as some call it is going through a liberation phase in the United States. In 37 out of 50 states have relaxed the laws regarding the sale and use of marijuana and its derivatives in the past few years. Most of these states approve of the medical use of marijuana while a handful also makes an exception for recreational use. But these relaxations come with riders to make it difficult for businesses dealing with cannabis. According to reports, Senators Steve Conway and Ann....

Colorado, a US state known for its liberal regulation of cannabis, is now going to host the Crypto Cannabis Conference on October 24th & 25th, 2015. The organizers expect the attendance from the best minds in the cannabis industry who will discuss the pros and cons of Bitcoin for the cannabis industry. Inviting the best minds in the Bitcoin world, Crypto Cannabis Conference organizers don’t charge any registration fees. People involved in the legal cannabis business have a lot of advantages if they use Bitcoin, and this conference explores those advantages. Similarly, the organizations....