(From California NORML’s Dale Gieringer)
Paypal, the well-known internet payment company has told California NORML that it will no longer accept payments to our “type of business” because we accept listing payments from cannabis-recommending physicians.
After years of offering free listings to physicians and collectives at our website http://www.canorml.org, CaNORML began charging a yearly listing fee to cover our costs last year.
PayPal froze CaNORML’s account in June, saying that by accepting listing fees from collectives, we were violating their Acceptable Use policy, which says, “you may not use PayPal in the purchase or sale of narcotics.” Although narcotics were not being sold over the CaNORML site, we reluctantly agreed to stop accepting listings fees from collectives that dispense medical marijuana, recognizing that even though they are legal under state law, they are illegal under federal law. However, we continued to accept payments online from doctors, attorneys, and members.
Now PayPal has stopped accepting payments from the CaNORML site because we continued to accept listing payments from physicians.
Please steal this graphic and link back to this story!
Under a ruling upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court (Conant v. Walters, 2003), physicians have the first amendment right to discuss and recommend medical marijuana for their patients, although they may not distribute it or help patients in finding it. PayPal was informed of this and wrote back, “We are not arguing the legality of this issue; we are simply stating that we have made the business decision to not be involved with this type of business.”
Because of its discriminatory policy and disregard of physicians’ first amendment rights, CaNORML submits that PayPal is not the “type of business” to be used by those who advocate for human rights. We will file a complaint with the federal banking committee over their practices.
Located in San Jose, California, PayPal was founded in 1998 and was acquired by eBay (California gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman’s former company) in 2002.
Complain to: PayPal, 2211 N 1st St, San Jose 95131 (408) 376-7400
PayPal has been removed from the Stash Tip Jar and I have canceled my production company’s PayPal account. PayPal’s decision not to be involved in our “type of business”, when that business is the providing of a directory of doctors who recommend a legal medicine, is astonishing. They say it is a “business decision”, which to me means they decided that being involved with a website full of doctors’ names would be too risky… how? The doctors are legal, their recommendations are legal, the people receiving and using the recommendations are legal, so there is no legal risk involved. It can’t be that there is a business risk, that somehow other businesses are boycotting PayPal because it processes legal payments from doctors to California NORML.
No, this is nothing but another bigoted move from a company that thinks it knows more about medicine than doctors do, a company that thinks you and me and others who use marijuana as medicine are criminals, frauds, and economic undesirables. I encourage you to steal the graphic above and place it on your websites and pass it on to everyone you know. We showed Kellogg’s not to mess with the cannabis community; let’s show PayPal that there are a lot of us online and we’re not supporting them anymore.
Paypal: Dumped
ebay: Dumped
It feels so refreshing…
True,
if all ppl of this nature would boycott the major players that control or weild control in our financial environment, we would not have any issue from ANY state or level in being freed up.
Money talks always.
If those same ppl were to SPEAK up at the same time and the right place, this would also be a winner for all freedoms.
[...] the decision by PayPal, the online web transaction company (a.k.a. “cyberbank”), to drop California NORML’s website because of its advertising for clinics that help people qualify for medical marijuana. Well, our [...]
More IDIOCRACY!! Those morons at eBay/PayPal need to be sued for discriminatory business practices…can you say, “class action lawsuit”? They accept payments from eBay sellers who sell bongs, pipes, herb grinders and vaporizers. I have to imagine they are unaware of the US Supreme Court’s ruling on drug paraphernalia, eh? It is my understanding that the Supreme Court ruled that these devices have no place in society so are not “legal” merchandise (didn’t they bust Tommy Chong for selling bongs?!?). This means that eBay/PayPal are violating their own stoopid policy/opinion by allowing vendors to sell and accept payments for illegal products while banning a freedom based business from conducting business legally! I, too, have a big problem with them banning CANORML because you accept ads from DOCTORS!! What kind of BS is that? They should just be honest and state that they are anti-American so you can’t do business with them. I think they should go do their fascist business in a country without democracy and freedom to see how it feels. Boycott PayPal and find another way to make online payments because now I feel that PayPal should be banned! Peace to all…except eBay/PayPal that is (LOL).
More IDIOCRACY!! Those morons at eBay/PayPal need to be sued for discriminatory business practices…can you say, “class action lawsuit”? They accept payments from eBay sellers who sell bongs, pipes, herb grinders and vaporizers. I have to imagine they are unaware of the US Supreme Court’s ruling on drug paraphernalia, eh? It is my understanding that the Supreme Court ruled that these devices have no place in society so are not “legal” merchandise (didn’t they bust Tommy Chong for selling bongs?!?). This means that eBay/PayPal are violating their own stoopid policy/opinion by allowing vendors to sell and accept payments for illegal products while banning a freedom based business from conducting business legally! I, too, have a big problem with them banning CANORML because you accept ads from DOCTORS!! What kind of BS is that? They should just be honest and state that they are anti-American so you can’t do business with them. I think they should go do their fascist business in a country without democracy and freedom to see how it feels. Boycott PayPal and find another way to make online payments because now I feel that PayPal should be banned! Peace to all…except eBay/PayPal that is (LOL).
But nobody has one like mine.
They have BONGS on ebay.
xCannabis.com officially bans Paypal, and sacrafices an ad spot for the cause on all pages of our site. We will broadcast this message throughout our entire network of websites as well.
We are now switching to Google Checkout: http://checkout.google.com
I called ‘em.
As a small time eBay seller (want an Eagles Guitar pick?) I used a “special” number that I was prompted to use when I clicked a contact Paypal icon.
My question was simple. “Could you explain to me why Paypal has decided to drop CANORML?”
I talked with someone who was unknowing. So, I politely filled her in on what I consider to be an unfair practice. I spelled out canormal.org and directed her to it and directly to their Paypal icon while I was on the phone. HAA. You could hear her type it in. The conversation then went from a person trying to help to a person trying to evade.
There was no answer to be found. She refused to transfer me to the next highest level as “managers don’t take calls”.
So this morning, Paypal emails this: “As part of PayPal’s commitment to excellence, I want to make sure I met your needs during our conversation. Would you please take a minute to answer a few questions to let me know how I did?” HELL YEAH!!
The nature of my answers will perk up some eyebrows over there and I’m pretty sure it will get some further attention.
The only real answer I expect from them is
but we’ll see.
should we send PP lots of e-mail.
AlertPay.com !
It’s pretty sad when businesses want to get into politics.I just surfed ebay to see if there was offensive items sold on it and low and behold you can buy a copy of the turner diaries and pay for it with paypal.But you can’t purchase pot prescribed by a doctor
Kellog’s: dumped
Paypal: dumped
And I hold grudges like a woman… forever.
I sent the message to CC forums and THC forums.
I hope it will spread around.
Bad decision for Paypal. We already new they sucked but now have another reason to not use their services besides having no recourse if they or someone else steals your money! Credit cards have federal protection, PayPal leaves everything up to their discretion and as we have seen, they have terrible judgment. Do not use PayPal and tell others to avoid this business. PayPal could not care less about sick people following their doctors’ advice and state laws enacted by the citizens to protect sick patients and the people who treat them!
Damn! I had just used Paypal to buy something on eBay right before I read this. Should we boycott eBay as well?
Paypal/eBay is way too rich for its own good, I think a worldwide boycott by all cannabis beneficiaries would teach them a small lesson in hemponomics.
I remember that shit! I’m sure bigotry similar to the BMEZine incident plays a role, but Russ touched on what I believe is what touched this off. Paypal is owned by Ebay. Republican California gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman was CEO of Ebay up until last year. She had two possible motives for a move like this.
A: She felt ties with NORML may be a political liability in her upcoming race. Or….
B: She is positioning herself for an attack on California medical marijuana if and when she gets elected.
Either way I think the orders came from Whitman and Cali needs to take heed.
[...] PayPal dumps California NORML, “We have made the business decision to not be involved with this ty… [...]
This isn’t the first douchey thing that PayPal has done. A couple years ago it refused service/business with bmezine – the body modification website. Apparently PayPal’s policy is something to the effect of: “I don’t like you nya-nya-nya; I’m not going to share my toys.”
This graphic has been “stolen” and posted under the heading… Boycott Paypal. Linked back to here. Hehehehe.