Computers to cannabis: HP jumps into marijuana industry

The digital cash registers ringing up customers coffee shops and chic boutiques will soon stationed in marijuana dispensaries.

Computer giant HP announced Wednesday it is packaging its point-of-sale ElitePOS hardware with cannabis compliance software from Flowhub, a Denver-based business that operates in eight states.

The partnership addresses the growing need for easy compliance solutions in the ever-growing cannabis industry, said Kyle Sherman, Flowhub’s chief executive officer.

“The largest amount of friction in the (cannabis) industry today is the lack of understanding around compliance for dispensaries,” he said. “I think this will simplify the decision-making process for them.”

For Flowhub, the deal is an upgrade to the delivery mechanism for the Denver-based company’s software, which is tailored to the varying state regulations. Prior to now, Flowhub’s software could be installed Mac and PC computers as dispensaries utilized the consumer-grade devices like iPads and tablets as cash registers.

But as the industry expands and matures, so did the market for professional-grade devices, he said.

Enter HP.

“You’re getting something that’s proven from a company that’s proven,” Sherman said.

Officials for HP did not immediately return queries for comment. In a statement provided to Bloomberg, company officials said:

“Retailers across a wide range of industries use our hardware in their store operations. Our retail solutions are widely available and used by all sorts of customers as they see fit to meet their business (needs).”

Terms of the partnership were not immediately disclosed.