Amazon is lobbying for weed legalization nationwide

Amazon is stepping up its campaign for weed, announcing on Tuesday that it is actively pushing for legislative reforms aimed at decriminalization and reaffirming its commitment not to screen job applicants for cannabis.

Beth Galetti, senior vice president of human resources at Amazon, said in a blog post society’s support for two pieces of legislation aimed at decriminalizing cannabis nationwide. This move comes amid the expansion of legalization at the state level, with 36 states allowing some level of public access to cannabis and 18 states plus Washington, DC, legalizing adult recreational use.

The first is the Marijuana Opportunities Reinvestment and Removal Act, 2021 (MORE Act), introduced by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, which would remove cannabis from the federal government’s list of controlled substances, thereby decriminalizing it at the federal level. The bill too look for create new investment programs for communities that have been disproportionately affected by cannabis incarceration and policing, while also seeking to clear relevant criminal records. The bill has already been introduced and past the house last year in a landmark vote before finally stagnating in the then Republican-controlled Senate. Nadler reintroduced the bill in May, adding a few changes.

The other bill that Amazon supports is the Cannabis Administration and Opportunities Act– a bill introduced by prominent Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, as well as Senses Cory Booker and Ron Wyden. The legislation would also seek to legalize and regulate of weed, while also providing funds to state governments to be used to clear criminal records related to cannabis-related convictions at the state level.

Amazon, which employs 950,000 people in the United States, said it supports these bills for a number of reasons, one of which is the untenable patchwork of state laws and the fact that pre-testing use for cannabis “have a disproportionate impact on people of color.” The company also noted that its continued search for “great new team members” means that eliminating pre-employment testing for cannabis allows them to hire from more people.

“We are excited about the notable momentum in the country to recognize that the status quo today is unjust and untenable. We look forward to working with Congress and other supporters to ensure the necessary reform of national cannabis laws, ”said Galetti. wrote.

Amazon’s stance on cannabis use within its ranks started to change at least a few months ago. In June, reports emerged that the company was abandoning its pre-employment testing for the intoxication factory for positions (except those regulated by the Ministry of Transportation, such as truck drivers and positions that require the use of heavy machinery), while encouraging contract delivery companies that operate its fleet of blue vans to make it known that they would not be tracking weeds. .

This is an interesting turning point for Amazon, which has turned out to be a terrible employer in numerous other manners. On this note, it should also be remembered that everyone, from Elon musk to the unhappy ex-governor of New York– knows that doing well with weed is a sure-fire way to keep cool and generate goodwill since Most people know that bans are just draconian regressive bullshit.

We reached out to Amazon for comment on its recent approval of this legislation. We also asked if the company plans to invest in any cannabis-related business ventures in the future. We will update this story if they respond.