Amazon Gives Endorsement to a Federal Marijuana Legalization Bill
In a tweet on Tuesday, Amazon said it gave full support to an initiative that would remove cannabis from the list of banned substances on the national level. The States Reform Act was introduced last November and, if passed, would treat the cannabis plant and its mind-altering constituents like alcohol.
The online sales behemoth has long thought the cannabis prohibition an outdated policy. Last September, the company announced it would no longer screen its drivers for marijuana use which set an example for other major companies to forgo marijuana tests for new hires. Amazon also spent millions of dollars on lobbying for federal cannabis reform.
States Free to Shape Their Own Cannabis Policies
Under the new bill proposed by Rep. Nancy Mace, the illegal status of the plant and its psychoactive derivatives will be repealed on the national level, but the individual states will be free to decide on the best policy for themselves.
In those states that have already legalized medical or recreational cannabis use, the industry will no longer be under threat of federal prosecution. And those states that are only mulling over reform can choose whether continue with the prohibition or end it. And if they go ahead with legalization, the only restrictions that the federal law will impose are the minimum legal age of 21 years and the 3% excise tax on cannabis sales.
GOP-Sponsored Cannabis Reform? That’s a New One!
It’s not the first bill seeking to legalize cannabis federally that has been proposed by American lawmakers. But it is unique in that the authors of the initiative are all Republicans.
The popular support for reform has been strong for years, but congressmen and senators weren’t eager to follow their constituents’ wishes, and Republicans were always lagging behind Democrats in polls. Moreover, all previous bills aiming to legalize cannabis failed because of the strong GOP opposition.
The fact that the latest measure was proposed by Republicans and is as comprehensive as any penned by Democrats is the surest sign that this time will be different. In 2012, the state of Colorado paved the way to cannabis legalization by allowing its recreational use, and it’s not such a wild idea anymore that after another decade the whole nation will follow suit.
