United States: Amazon supports Republican plan to legalize cannabis

Amazon, the second-largest private employer in the United States, supports a Republican-led bill aimed at legalizing, taxing, and regulating cannabis at the federal level.

The company's public policy division said Tuesday that it was «pleased to support» the bill introduced by Republican Representative Nancy Mace, who introduced the States Reform Act in November as an alternative to the legalization proposals championed by the Democrats.

«Like many others in this country, we believe it is time to reform national cannabis policy, and Amazon is committed to contributing to this effort,» said the company, which has already expressed its support for a separate legalization bill sponsored by Democrats.

We are pleased to endorse @RepNancyMace's States Reform Act. Like so many people in this country, we believe it’s time to reform the nation’s cannabis policy, and Amazon is committed to helping lead the effort. https://t.co/g04Dn5KZq5

— Amazon Public Policy (@amazon_policy) January 25, 2022

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Brian Huseman, Amazon’s vice president of public policy, said the bill offered «comprehensive reform that reflects the emergence of a bipartisan consensus to end the federal ban on cannabis.»

Last year, Amazon has decided to stop testing for cannabis for most of its workers and to clear the «records» of former workers who were disciplined for testing positive, allowing them to be rehired.

There are multiple reasons for discontinuing cannabis screening tests, Amazon stated at the time. The growing movement toward legalization at the state level made it «difficult to implement a fair, consistent, and nationwide pre-employment cannabis testing program,» with data showing that drug testing «has a disproportionate impact on people of color and constitutes a barrier to employment.» Removing this requirement also helped expand the company’s pool of candidates.

Amazon and its bipartisan support

The Republican legalization bill would end the federal ban on cannabis while taking specific steps to ensure that businesses can continue to operate without being hindered by changing federal rules. It also includes certain equity provisions, such as expunging the criminal records of individuals with nonviolent cannabis-related convictions and imposing an excise tax, the revenue from which would support community reinvestment, law enforcement, and the activities of the Small Business Administration (SBA).

Amazon also supports the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement The (MORE) Act, a bill sponsored by the Democrats. Although they hold a majority in both chambers and control the White House, the margins for passage are slim.

The lThe MORE initiative was approved in September by the House Judiciary Committee last September. Senate leaders are preparing to submit a separate proposal for legalization after unveiling a preliminary version in July.