Mastercard and Visa have banned debit card usage at dispensaries 

Cash is king once again at dispensaries as debit card companies, Mastercard and Visa, ban cannabis transactions. 

“Maybe four weeks ago, we started to notice an increased rate of debit cards being declined,” said Michael Bettencourt, owner of Pacific Paradise. “We didn’t get anything directly from Mastercard.” 

Mastercard shared this statement with Redwood News Today:
“Our rules require our customers to conduct lawful activity where they are licensed to use our brands. The federal government considers cannabis sales illegal, so these purchases are not allowed on our systems.” 

Bettencourt said that this is an inconvenience for some customers who have been able to use their debit cards for the last two years.

“From a customer service standpoint, it’s an inconvenience when the customers want to come in they’re accustomed to paying with their debit cards,” Bettencourt said. “Then we have to notify them of the situation and what’s happening and then they have to either turn around and go to a nearby ATM to pull out cash or they just cancel the order altogether.”

In California, you must be 21 years or older to purchase cannabis for recreational use. For medicinal use, you must be 18 or older.