Which credit card companies will let you buy marijuana?

Christopher Maag of credit.com reports on the credit card companies that let you get stoned now and pay later.

"The issue of purchasing medical marijuana is an emerging issue, and we're continuing to look into it," says Jim Issokson, a spokesman for MasterCard.
Visa and Discover also allow people to purchase medical marijuana in states where it's legal. Citing the fact that marijuana-medical or not-is still illegal according to federal law, American Express does not allow its customers to use its cards for pot purchases of any kind.
"It is our policy to adhere to the federal law in such matters," Bradley R. Manor, an AmEx spokesman, told Smartmoney.com.

Want to Charge Weed? What Credit Card are You Carrying?

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The Snowden Principle

starbreiz

I use my Visa to buy medical cannabis all the time. I had no idea there were restrictions, like AmEx! Sadly, when my dispensary got raided on bogus charges, they seized the credit card machine, and now they’re cash only. And of course their website doesn’t say this, and the in-house ATM charges major fees :(
Major Variola (ret)

In SoCal, I used a credit card many times and preferred dispensaries that accepted them. In fact, one dispensary gave a
discount for using plastic.

Bonus for me, I get “points”.

@lknope BTW most people in Cali don’t have the
state card, why register yourself and pay
more? The MD recommendation suffices.

And yes, as a paranoid cypherpunk, I’m aware that everything is vacuumed up.
- emmdeeaych
  
  Security through obscurity, Major.
Gulliver

A major credit card company concerned about following federal regulations? That’s rich!
wheezer

On the other hand, most higher-end prostitutes (think eros-*.com) in the states do accept any major credit card, including Amex.
turn_self_off

All this hoopla over a weed…
DaveP

i would have been interested in more exploration of the amex decision to disallow purchas based on fed policy. i assume they’re trying to limit their exposure in some way?
Anonymous

I’m really not all that much of a libertarian, because most of the time, I consider such positions to be unnecessary panic.

I’ll never have a need for medical marijuana, and I’ve really hated Wikileaks from the start, but the fact that these companies can decide what I do with *my* money really fucking irks me, and makes me hope for the success of Bitcoin.
Ipo

Silly, everybody knows that credit cards are for cocaine, not hemp blossoms.
- turn_self_off
  
  I think said card need to be Black (the new Gold) before that is valid.
xtophr

Of course, buying weed with a credit card creates an audit trail for the Feds to use against you in court, so you might want to stick with cash.
- lknope
  
  Most states where weed is legal require you to have a medical marijuana id card, so you can be traced that way anyway.
  - Anonymous
    
    You don’t need a card in California, although local law may require one in certain areas.
zyodei

This suggests the related question, “which credit card companies will let you buy alcohol?”