Why You Can’t Write a Check at Marijuana Dispensaries

Dear Stoner: I’ve been told by dispensary workers that they can’t accept credit or debit cards, only cash. Is everyone too young to consider writing a check, or is that also not allowed? How are we still forced to use cash after all these years?
Sandy Peaks

Dear Sandy: The plant is still federally prohibited, so large banks won’t work with state-legal cannabis businesses out of fear of federal drug charges. Some payment processors and smaller banks will service dispensaries, but this usually appears as a “cashless ATM” on your bank statement, which is a convoluted transactional process that includes extra fees. Welcome to retail weed.

I never see personal checks outside of the rare grocery store visit or inside of a birthday card from my grandmother, and they would likely confuse your average budtender. But checks aren’t a dust-covered hack ripe for revival, sadly, since cashing a personal check involves a bank withdrawal process similar to that of a debit card, and many retailers, cannabis and otherwise, don’t accept checks anymore. A new law in Colorado allows online payment for dispensary pre-orders, but we haven’t found any stores or websites offering that service yet.

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