Tech giant is getting into the 'ganja' business

folarin okunola

June 21, 2016 9:29 AM

Basically, Microsoft, through its "Azure Government" platform, will help the US government track and police the legal sale of cannabis.

Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella

Microsoft is going out of its traditional market and wants to help the US government regulate weed.

The Redmond-based company will join forces with KIND Financial, a company that makes software tailored for the cannabis industry, to aid local and state US officials track the sale of marijuana, a press release states.

Basically, Microsoft, through its "Azure Government" platform, will help the US government track and police the legal sale of cannabis.

So cloud computing solutions for government may not be the most sexy thing anyone has heard of, but the Huffington Post reports that Alex St. Pierre, executive director at NORML, an NGO fighting for marijuana law reform, say this new Microsoft-KIND Financial-US government collaboration is a step forward for corporate America.

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“We’re psyched to see a major company like Microsoft jump into this space. It’s only going to encourage other companies to do it,” St. Pierre said, according to the Huffington Post.

Despite widespread support for the legalization of weed, major corporations have been slow to embrace the business.

Microsoft will be one of the pioneer big companies to get involved in the weed business, as the US - and the rest of the world - start to legalize and make money off the herb.

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folarin okunola