Microsoft getting involved with weed industry software

The US computing giant said it is joining forces with California-based startup Kind Financial, whose stated mission is to help marijuana-related businesses make safe and secure transactions within the law.

Kind will run its new software on Microsoft’s ‘Azure’ cloud computing platform, for a number of governments in the US.

“Kind is proud to offer governments and regulatory agencies the tools and technology to monitor cannabis compliance,” said CEO David Dinenberg.

“I am delighted that Microsoft supports Kind's mission to build the backbone for cannabis compliance.”

Analysts have previously said such a move from a major company - such as Microsoft - could be an important step in marijuana becoming widely accepted as a legal drug in the United States.

A Microsoft spokesperson told the Independent that Kind Financial is building solutions on its government cloud to help agencies regulate and monitor controlled substances and items, and manage compliance with laws and regulations.

Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Washington and Washington DC have already legalised marijuana for both recreational and medical purposes, with twenty more states legalising it for medical use only.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates voted for legalisation in his home state of Washington.

“It's an experiment, and it's probably good to have a couple states try it out to see before you make that national policy,” he told Buzzfeed in 2014.