Arkansas is voting in a few short days on the legalization of marijuana – and the main issue with proponents isn’t the marijuana itself, but rather public safety concerns. This is just – marijuana and illegal drugs in general can cause crime, but with marijuana’s main side effects being hungry and calm, there is little crime to be had there. That being said, it is still imperative that the public understands that medical and recreational (legalized recreational) marijuana are safe, when used accordingly.

This is going to be a huge problem for merchants if, or when, this is legalized in Arkansas. Who would have thought that a Bible Belt state would have the chance to vote for legalized pot? Well, it’s true and in a few days we will find out the results. Merchants of course will need a way to process their new customer’s payments – and this gets tricky when it comes to finding someone to process those payments. While new businesses typically have a hard time finding a merchant account provider, it becomes even tougher when those new businesses are selling something that is still federally illegal. So, banks are out for a payment processing source.

Your option lies only with a marijuana merchant account provider, like MMJ, to help fund your business and keep your payments flowing. The other thing that can be an issue for legalized marijuana merchants is crime – but not from intoxicated individuals. Dispensaries are prone to robberies, so you need to be careful if you are looking to open a dispensary. You need to make sure that besides a reputable and protected merchant account that you have a reputable and experienced security service working for you. Whether you have security staff or an alarm and cameras, you need to be secured somehow. And, if you use cameras that operate off a VHS (yes, some still do), make sure to change the VHS and not reuse it – nothing is worse than needing a clear picture and you cannot make out the face due to an over-used film.