Microsoft has become the first major tech company to enter America’s burgeoning legal marijuana industry, after announcing its partnership with Kind Financial to provide ‘seed to sale’ services for growers of cannabis.

Kind Financial, a California-based tech start-up, runs software allowing cannabis growers to track inventory and handle transactions. Marijuana is fully legal for both recreational and medical purposes in five states, but remains illegal nationwide and contains many contradictions in the law that make high-profile companies unwilling to get involved.

In a statement to the BBC, Microsoft said it supported “government customers and partners to help them meet their missions”.

“Kind Financial is building solutions on our government cloud to help these agencies regulate and monitor controlled substances and items, and manage compliance with jurisdictional laws and regulations.”

Microsoft shares are up 1.41 percent on the news, at 50.39 (0950GMT).

17/06/2016