Dutchie, a top cannabis technology platform used by dispensaries nationwide as a point of sale system, payment processor and marketing tool, has announced a new checkout feature that will allow customers to round up their total to donate to nonprofits and other organizations that support cannabis justice reform and legalization.
The new “Round Up The Change” program currently has partnerships with nonprofits like Mission Green and Last Prisoner Project, two organizations that work to support individuals, and their families, who have been impacted by cannabis-related sentences. Leading cannabis organizations such as US Cannabis Roundtable and the Michigan Cannabis Industry Association have also partnered with the program.
“This industry was built on grassroots activism and the power of the people,” said Chris Ostrowski, the Chief Technology Officer of Dutchie, in a recent press release. “Round Up the Change honors that legacy by turning the checkout experience into an engine for advocacy, allowing our community to collectively further the mission.”
The new program could offer meaningful monetary compensation to widespread cannabis reform; Dutchie processes at least 1 million payments per day. According to the press release, Dutchie estimates that Round Up The Change could accumulate millions of dollars each year — money that would be used for legal advocacy, clemency work and re-entry programs.
Retailers that currently use Dutchie can activate the new program for both in-store and online purchases.
In an era of widespread cannabis consumption and the fiscal advancement of cannabis companies nationwide, it is important to remember the ways in which cannabis prohibition has negatively impacted people all over the country. Similarly, larger cannabis companies can scaffold this disconnect by getting directly involved.