Publication: CBS Sacramento
Paying taxes should not be difficult or dangerous, but pot shops say they can’t write checks because banks will not do business with them. A lawmaker is working to reduce the risk for everyone.
Armored vehicles carrying tax money are proof the danger is still very real for California marijuana businesses and people who live near them.
Assemblymember Phil Ting introduced a bill that would let marijuana businesses pay their city and county taxes with digital currencies such as bitcoin. The goal is to reduce the temptation for thieves by reducing the amount of cash moving around.
“You have stores with cash and then you have at times warehouses with cash and the amount of cash they have is just very difficult to secure,” said Ting.