Pot Risk vs. Profit: Bankers Cautious of Marijuana Dispensaries

DENVER — Every month, Jamie Perino hires a security detail to come to her three recreational marijuana dispensaries. They stop by, collect thousands of dollars in cash and head out to deliver the money to the state, county and city.

Perino, the CEO of Euflora dispensaries, said she can't find a bank that will work with her. She pays her employees and her landlord in cash. She can only accept cash from customers. She must even pay her taxes in cash.

"I can't bank my money," she said. "It's really frustrating. … When I go to pay my federal taxes, you get a 10 percent penalty for paying in cash, but we can't have a bank account. So it's just a big Catch-22."

Thousands of owners of legal marijuana businesses in states throughout the country face the same dilemma. With banks reluctant to take on the risk and responsibilities associated...

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URL: 
http://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/marijuana-businesses-banker-brush-big-financial-hurdle-n412581