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Is New Hampshire the Next State for Medicinal Marijuana?

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by Erik Altieri, NORML Communications Director

A group of five bipartisan lawmakers have introduced legislation to make New Hampshire the third state to legalize and regulate the adult use of marijuana.

House Bill 492 legalizes the possession of up to an ounce or less of marijuana and the private cultivation of a limited number of marijuana plants for adults 21 years of age and older. HB 492 would also allow for licensed commercial cultivation and sale of marijuana. Full text of this measure can be read here.

Polling conducted in January of 2013 by Public Policy Polling reported that 53% of New Hampshire voters support changing state law to regulate and tax marijuana similarly to alcohol, only 37% were opposed.

Including New Hampshire, there is now a total of six states considering legislation to fully legalize marijuana. It is imperative that your elected officials hear from you in support of this measure. If you live in one of the six states (Hawaii, Maine, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont) considering the legalization of marijuana for all adults, you can click on the appropriate link below and go directly to your state’s action alert. You can also click here to see if your state is considering any legislation pertaining to marijuana law reform.

If you are thinking of starting a  medicinal marijuana dispensary and need information on payment processing services click on the icon below:

Marijuana Legalized? Payment Processing Landscape Changing

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Article by Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director

Members of Congress will introducehistoric legislation today to permit for the regulated production and retail sales of cannabis to adults in states that have legalized its consumption.

Representative Jared Polis, (D-CO) is sponsoring legislation that seeks to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol.

Separate legislation to be introduced by Rep. Earl Bluemenauer (D-OR) seeks to establish a federal tax structure for retail cannabis production and sales.

Both Representatives, along with drug policy reform advocates, will discuss these measures at a teleconference this afternoon.

“When residents of Colorado and Washington voted to end their state’s prohibition on marijuana last November, it was a watershed moment for our nation’s move towards sane marijuana laws,” said NORML Communications Director Erik Altieri, who will be speaking at today’s teleconference. “But there remains a lingering conflict between state and federal law. These historic measures seek to resolve this conflict and empower states to dictate their own marijuana policies, without fear of federal incursion. NORML would like to thank the Congressmen for taking this brave step forward and encourages their colleagues in Congress to join them in calling for sensible marijuana law reform.”

Both Representatives have also released a report today outlining the need for federal marijuana law reform, titled “A Path Forward: Rethinking Federal Marijuana Policy.” The report states that “it is time for Congress to allow states and voters to decide how they want to treat marijuana. The current system is broken. It wastes resources and destroys individual lives, in turn damaging families and entire communities. It is past time to take action and stop this tragic waste in the future.”

Members of Congress will also call for the establishment of a Congressional Working Group on Sensible Drug Policy.

Do you run a medical marijuana dispensary? Get a merchant account by clicking on the icon below:

MMJ Payment Processing

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Medical marijuana has been a hot topic over the last few years with more states allowing use of medicinal marijuana and Colorado and Washington have even legalized the recreational use of marijuana. Accepting electronic payments has been difficult for these businesses because of the grey area they operate in legally. Marijuana is still illegal on a federal level, so most banks and card associations have put the business type on it’s prohibited list.

In fact, Visa and MasterCard have threatened hefty fines to any ISO, bank or any processing entity that provides medical marijuana dispensaries with traditional merchant accounts.

The only option for MMJ related businesses to accept electronic payments is by accepting cards through the debit networks instead of a traditional merchant account. You can still accept debit and credit cards using our PIN based system.

We have over 100 dispensaries across the country using our payment system and we have plenty of references upon request. Contact us today to learn how we can help your medical marijuana dispensary accept credit and debit cards.

Merchant Account Sign Up