Amazon officially gets behind push for marijuana reform in Washington

271 0

The global eCommerce giant is putting its name behind cannabis reform

The effort to legalize cannabis through a Republican-backed congressional bill at the federal level gained a powerful ally: eCommerce and media giant Amazon. The company recently announced that its public policy arm now supports a cannabis legalization bill that also seeks to give states the right to decide what to do with the plant.

Congresswoman Nancy Mace’s State Reform Act released two months ago aims to remove cannabis as a federal Schedule I substance in addition to implementing a new 3% federal tax on the substance. The fact that it was the first bill backed by several Republicans made it the talk of the town in many places.

Amazon now seems to want to join the cannabis legalization efforts, openly expressing its support for the party’s legislation. “Like so many in this country, we believe it’s time to reform the nation’s cannabis policy, and Amazon is committed to helping lead the effort,” said Amazon.

Through Amazon’s official public policy page on Twitter, the company made it clear that it fully intends to support Mace’s measure. The news comes months after Amazon also announced that it changed its internal drug testing policy and that the company will no longer disqualify employees for marijuana use.

Amazon is not hesitating to take its change of heart on cannabis to Washington. The company said it hopes many other “employers will join us and that lawmakers will act quickly to pass this law.”

Amazon’s announcement is good news for the cannabis industry, which has been supporting federal legalization. Prominent figures such as Ben Kovler, CEO and founder of cannabis company Green Thumb Industries, celebrated Amazon’s support for marijuana.