Microsoft Takes A Step Into The Cannabis Industry

Microsoft is the first major corporate that is getting into the medical marijuana business. The software giant has announced a partnership where they will be offering software that tracks marijuana plants.

In the past, only smaller businesses willing to take a risk had been active in the medical marijuana industry, with large corporations largely staying away due to the complicated nature of cannabis legality – especially in the US. In June, Microsoft changed this and wrote history by announcing a partnership whereby they offer software that tracks marijuana plants from seed to sale. To be more precise, Microsoft is partnering with KIND Financial, a leader in the medical cannabis tech industry. With this move, Microsoft is breaking the corporate taboo on marijuana, becoming the first of its kind to push cannabis regulation forward.

LOGISTICAL SOLUTIONS: A WAY TO TRACK CANNABIS FROM SEED TO SALE

KIND have developed a software system called Agrisoft, which has been on the market for three years. Agrisoft is made for states and local municipalities to help them make sure the legal marijuana business remains on the level. It is the kind of technology that the United States government needs to start feeling at ease about cannabis regulation, allowing the medical marijuana industry to go nationwide.

David Dinenberg, founder and CEO of KIND Financial, has stated that he believes the future of cannabis legalization cannot be predicted. According to Dinenberg, it is clear that legalized cannabis will always be subject to strict oversight and regulations similar to alcohol and tobacco.

“KIND is proud to offer governments and regulatory agencies the tools and technology to monitor cannabis compliance. I am delighted that Microsoft supports KIND’s mission to build the backbone for cannabis compliance,” he said to the press.

Although KIND has not landed any government contracts yet, the company is confident that their new partnership with Microsoft will change that opening up all kinds of avenues. KIND is currently working on getting their systems into foreign markets such as Puerto Rico, where cannabis is being considered for medicinal purposes. The company plans to expand into several other states and nations that are currently making good progress in the legal marijuana market.

This move by Microsoft to support the cannabis tech industry shows that not only is cannabis becoming an accepted commodity, but also that its progression will continue to move ever forward. Microsoft may have opened up the floodgates, not only for the tech industry, but larger corporate involvement as a whole. There are plenty of jobs to be had in a legalised cannabis industry, and we are only just seeing its beginning!