微軟涉足大麻產業 打破大企業葉子禁忌

As state after state has legalized marijuana in one way or another, big names in corporate America have stayed away entirely. Marijuana, after all, is still illegal, according to the federal government.

儘管以這種或那種方式實現大麻合法化的州一個接一個地出現，美國的大牌企業依舊對大麻敬而遠之。畢竟，根據聯邦政府的規定，它依舊是非法的。

But Microsoft is breaking the corporate taboo on pot this week by announcing a partnership to begin offering software that tracks marijuana plants from “seed to sale,” as the pot industry puts it.

但微軟(Microsoft)正在打破企業界對“葉子”的禁忌。該公司於本週宣佈了一個合作項目，將開始提供相關的大麻監控軟件，用這個行業的話說， 進行“從種子到銷售”的全程追蹤。

The software — a new product in Microsoft’s cloud computing business — is meant to help states that have legalized the medical or recreational use of marijuana keep tabs on sales and commerce, ensuring that they remain in the daylight of legality.

這款軟件是微軟雲計算業務部門的新產品，旨在幫助已經實現醫用或娛樂用大麻合法化的州嚴密追蹤大麻的銷售與貿易，確保相關運作處於法律的陽光之下。

But until now, even that boring part of the pot world was too controversial for mainstream companies. It is apparent now, though, that the legalization train is not slowing down: This fall, at least five states, including the biggest of them all — California — will vote on whether to legalize marijuana for recreational use.

但直到現在，即便是“葉子”世界中這一最平淡的部分，對主流企業而言也太具爭議性。不過，大麻合法化的列車目前顯然並未減速：今年秋天，至少有五個州——它們中最大的是加州——將投票決定是否讓娛樂用大麻合法化。

So far, only a handful of smaller banks are willing to offer accounts to companies that grow or sell marijuana, and Microsoft will not be touching that part of the business. But the company’s entry into the government compliance side of the business suggests the beginning of a legitimate infrastructure for an industry that has been growing fast and attracting lots of attention, both good and bad.

迄今爲止，只有少數小銀行願意爲種植或銷售大麻的企業開立戶頭，而微軟不會涉及那些業務。但該公司從政府合規領域切入大麻業，意味着一個增長迅猛、吸引了大量正面和負面關注的行業，開始進行有助於引導其走上合法合規之路的基礎建設。

“We do think there will be significant growth,” said Kimberly Nelson, the executive director of state and local government solutions at Microsoft. “As the industry is regulated, there will be more transactions, and we believe there will be more sophisticated requirements and tools down the road.”

“我們確信會有大幅增長，”微軟的州及地方政務解決方案部門的執行董事金伯利·納爾遜(Kimberly Nelson)說。“在這一行業受到監管的同時，交易量會變大；我們認爲在此過程中會出現更爲複雜的要求和工具。”

Microsoft’s baby step into the business came through an announcement on Thursday that it was teaming up with a Los Angeles startup, Kind, that built the software the tech giant will begin marketing. Kind — one of many small companies trying to take the marijuana business mainstream — offers a range of products, including ATM-style kiosks that facilitate marijuana sales, working through some of the state-chartered banks that are comfortable with such customers.

微軟在週四宣佈了試水大麻業的消息。這家科技巨擘稱其正與洛杉磯初創企業Kind合作，即將着手推廣後者開發的這款軟件。許多小企業都在嘗試把大麻生意帶上更加主流的道路，Kind便是其中之一。它推出了一系列產品，其中包括讓大麻銷售變得更加便利的ATM式販售機，其運行以一些願意跟這類客戶打交道的州立銀行爲依託。

Microsoft will not be getting anywhere near these kiosks or the actual plants. Rather, it will be working with Kind’s “government solutions” division, offering software only to state and local governments that are trying to build compliance systems.

微軟不會與這些販售機或實體的大麻植物產生交集。而是要跟Kind的“政務解決方案”部門合作，爲正在竭力打造合規體系的州及地方政府提供軟件。

But for the young and eager legalized weed industry, Microsoft’s willingness to attach its name to any part of the business is a big step forward.

但對年輕而情緒高漲的合法大麻業而言，不論微軟願意讓自己的名號與這一產業的哪個部分發生關聯，都是往前邁了一大步。

“Nobody has really come out of the closet, if you will,” said Matthew A. Karnes, the founder of Green Wave Advisors, which provides data and analysis of the marijuana business. “It’s very telling that a company of this caliber is taking the risk of coming out and engaging with a company that is focused on the cannabis business.”

“可以這麼說吧，還沒有人真的從櫃中走出來，”提供大麻業務相關數據和分析的綠浪諮詢公司(Green Wave Advisors)創始人馬修·A·卡恩斯(Matthew A. Karnes)說。“一家如此級別的企業正冒着風險走出來，跟一家致力於大麻業務的企業建立聯繫，這很能說明問題。”

David Dinenberg, founder and chief executive of Kind, said it had taken a long time — and a lot of courting of big-name companies — to persuade the first one to get on board.

Kind創始人及首席執行官大衛·迪南伯格(David Dinenberg)說，在花費了很長時間，並向許多大牌企業拋出橄欖枝之後，Kind終於說服了第一家大企業入夥。

“Every business that works in the cannabis space, we all clamor for legitimacy,” said Dinenberg, a former real estate developer in Philadelphia who moved to California to start Kind. “I would like to think that this is the first of many dominoes to fall.”

“我們大麻行業內的每一家企業，全都急迫地想要獲得合法性，”迪南伯格說。“我覺得這是第一張倒下的多米諾骨牌”。迪南伯格曾是費城的房地產開發商，後來搬到加利福尼亞，創辦了Kind。

It’s hard to know if other corporate giants have provided their services in more quiet ways to cannabis purveyors. New York state, for instance, has said it is working with Oracle to track medicinal marijuana patients. But there appears to be little precedent for a big company advertising its work in the space. It is still possible — though considered unlikely — that the federal government could decide to crack down on the legalization movement in the states.

現在很難知道其他大企業是否正以不那麼引人注目的方式爲大麻供應商提供服務。例如，紐約州曾經表示，正與甲骨文(Oracle)合作，追蹤使用醫用大麻的病人。但目前似乎基本沒有哪家大公司公開宣稱自己涉足了這個行業的哪項業務。還存在一種可能性——儘管被認爲不大靠譜：聯邦政府可能決定打壓各州的大麻合法化運動。

Stores that sell pot have been particularly hobbled by the unwillingness of banks to deal with the money flowing through the industry. Many dispensaries have been forced to rely on cash for all transactions, or looked to startups like Kind, with its kiosks that take payments inside dispensaries.

銀行不願處理流經大麻業的資金，使得出售大麻的店鋪尤爲舉步維艱。許多藥房不得不以現金結算所有交易，或者仰仗Kind這類初創企業。使用Kind的販售機，可以在藥房內付款。

Governments, too, have generally been relying on smaller startups to help develop technology that can track marijuana plants and sales. A Florida software company, BioTrackTHC, is helping Washington state, New Mexico and Illinois monitor the marijuana trade inside their states.

政府部門也基本在依靠小型初創企業幫助開發可以追蹤大麻植物和銷售情況的技術。佛羅里達州的軟件公司BioTrackTHC正幫助華盛頓州、新墨西哥州和伊利諾伊州監控州內的大麻貿易。

Kind has no state contracts. But it has already applied, with Microsoft, to provide its software to Puerto Rico, which legalized marijuana for medical purposes earlier this year.

Kind手上沒有政府合約。但它已經和微軟一起申請，要爲波多黎各提供軟件。波多黎各於今年早些時候實現了醫用大麻合法化。

Twenty-five states have now legalized marijuana in some form or another, with Pennsylvania and Ohio the most recent. The biggest business opportunity, though, will come from states that allow recreational use of the drug, as Colorado, Oregon and Washington already do.

目前共有25個州以這樣或那樣的形式實現了大麻合法化，最新加入該陣營的是賓夕法尼亞州和俄亥俄州。不過，最大的商業機會將來自像科羅拉多州、俄勒岡州和華盛頓州一樣讓娛樂用大麻合法化的州。

This fall, five states — including, most significantly, California — will vote on whether to join that club.

今年秋天，將有五個州——包括最引人矚目的加利福尼亞州——就是否加入這一俱樂部進行投票。

Karnes, the analyst, said he expected legal marijuana sales to jump to $6.5 billion this year, from $4.8 billion last year. He says that number could climb to $25 billion by the year 2020 if California voters approve the recreational measure this year, as is widely expected.

分析師卡恩斯預計，合法的大麻銷售收入會從去年的48億美元猛增至今年的65億美元。他說，如果加州選民今年如外界普遍預期的那樣投票通過娛樂用大麻合法化議案，到2020年，這一數字可能會上升至250億美元。

The opening up of the market in California is already leading to a scramble for the big money that is likely to follow, and Microsoft will now be well placed to get in on the action.

加州市場的開放正在引發對可能出現的大筆利潤的爭奪，而微軟已經爲加入戰團佔據了有利地位。