4 Ways to Buy Weed with Bitcoin, Legally

With an increasing number of jurisdictions worldwide where cannabis can be purchased legally, a global virtual currency might just hold the key in accessing merchants who would otherwise be off limits.

Also read: Cannabis Entrepreneurs Should Use Bitcoin as Legalization Grows

Bits for Buds, Legally

The original Silk Road, which was shut down in 2013 with its founder, Ross Ulbricht, jailed for life, was one of the most popular places to purchase cannabis for many online users. But today, unfazed due to incessant demand, an increasing number of darknet markets have sprung up to fill the void while learning from the mistakes of their predecessors.

At the same time, the global trend toward legalization has taken hold in places like Colorado and Uruguay, where it’s now possible to buy the plant without criminal penalties. This has also made it theoretically possible to purchase cannabis products online with bitcoin and have it shipped anywhere in the world. In fact, you don’t even need to dip into the deep web, which is quasi-illegal and not recommended for Bitcoin users.

Here are some legal ways to purchase cannabis with bitcoin.

Global Seed Banks

If you’re a do-it-yourself kind of person, then purchasing seeds with bitcoin and growing could be for you. There’s at least a couple of online seed banks who don’t only sell and discreetly ship you cannabis seeds, but will also give you a discount and even some extra seeds if you pay with bitcoin.

Royal Queen Seeds is a cannabis seed company based in the Netherlands, with brick and mortar stores in Amsterdam. “Forget needing to make payments through middle men,” the company explains on its website. “It’s not even necessary to involve one’s bank to make a bitcoin transaction happen.”

Another bitcoin-friendly seed source is called Attitude Seed Bank, based in the UK. Keep an eye on this bank, since it has been known to offer “amazing giveaways” for bitcoin customers in particular.

Finally, there’s Bitcoinseedstore.com, which is specifically tailored to cryptocurrency users. With similar offerings as the seed banks above, this store also accepts other cryptocoins, such as Dash, Litecoin and Potcoin.

Decentralized Markets

Just mere hours after the world’s first decentralized marketplace OpenBazaar was launched, someone began offering cannabis for bitcoin. But while that’s no longer on the table, one can use an OpenBazaar search engine to find what you’re looking for, and voila:

Of course, to make a purchase on OpenBazaar, you will need to download the client and try it out yourself. You can check out a detailed review of using it here.

McChronalds in Canada

Canada has a bitcoin-friendly online cannabis distributor called McChronald’s, which sells buds, hash and THC extracts. But as one would expect, it is only available for Canadians who are 21 or older and pass a two-minute consultation.

There’s also a dedicated search engine for every cannabis delivery service in the country, many of whom accept bitcoin. These types of services could become even more commonplace in the near future, as Canada is expected to fully legalize cannabis in 2017.

With a Bitcoin Debit Card

A bitcoin debit card works just like a regular Visa or Mastercard debit card. There’s an increasing number of options to choose from, and once you receive the card in the mail, the process usually involves topping-up your balance with bitcoins.

The Coinsbank card, for example, can be delivered for free and converts crypto to fiat instantly, meaning that bitcoin can be spent anywhere debit cards are accepted. This includes dispensaries in places where cannabis can be legally purchased, including select US jurisdictions (Colorado, Oregon, Washington State, Washington D.C., Alaska) as well as other areas marked in blue on the map below.

Now the only problem is getting there. Luckily, bitcoin also buys plane tickets on sites like Expedia, CheapAir and BTCTrip, just to name a few.

Know of any other ways to acquire cannabis legally with bitcoin? Let us know in the comments section below!

Images courtesy of wikipedia.org, cannabis-seeds-bank.co.uk, bazaarbay.org, ibtimes.com.