Cash Payments No Longer The Only Option For Utah Cannabis Patients
Over the past few weeks, Utah’s cannabis pharmacies have started to experiment
Utah’s medical cannabis patients are now allowed by the state to spend their money inside marijuana pharmacies, but that doesn’t mean the nation’s major financial institutions want their fingerprints on transactions involving the federally illegal substance.
Credit card companies generally avoid cannabis transactions, for fear of federal repercussions. PayPal and Venmo are also leery of wading into the industry, state health officials say.
That leaves many patients carrying wads of cash into Utah’s medical cannabis pharmacies — a less-than-ideal situation when many are turning to contactless payments to avoid spreading COVID-19.
But over the past few weeks, Utah’s cannabis pharmacies have started to experiment with an app that caters to marijuana transactions and gives patients a payment option that doesn’t involve paper currency.
“People want a very similar experience to what they have with CVS or REI or anywhere else, where you do curbside pickup,” said Chris Jeffrey, managing partner and CEO of WholesomeCo Cannabis, which has a West Bountiful pharmacy. “Avoiding the whole need for cash is something that consumers want.”
Richard Oborn, who heads the Center for Medical Cannabis for the Utah Department of Health, said WholesomeCo, Dragonfly Wellness in Salt Lake City, and Deseret Wellness in Provo are all accepting electronic payments over the app, called Hypur. He expects more pharmacies will follow to satisfy customer demand for cashless transactions.
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