After years of pressure and lobbying, Amazon is now calling on the government to reconsider its stance and legalise cannabis federally in the United States.
CBS News reports that the company is urging Congress to pass federal legislation and make cannabis available in the country as more and more states are legalising or decriminalising recreational use.
On the company’s official blog, Beth Galetti, Amazon’s senior vice president of human resources, wrote: “We strongly believe the time has come to reform the nation’s cannabis policy, and we are committed to helping lead the effort.
“Today’s status quo is unfair and untenable.”
Amazon is now lobbying for a cannabis policy change that would end the federal ban on cannabis.
This news comes after they announced that, due to the recent shortages of delivery drivers, it would change its policy so (future) employees won’t be tested for cannabis.
They estimate that this change will help to make the company more inclusive and increase the number of applicants by 400%.
Ms Galetti added: “Pre-employment marijuana testing disproportionately impacts people of colour and acts as a barrier to employment.
“We’ve found that eliminating pre-employment testing for cannabis allows us to expand our applicant pool.”
The industry in the US and around the world is still waiting for President Joe Biden to act and legalise cannabis – or at least, decriminalise cannabis use as he indicated during the 2020 campaign.
In a town hall during the campaign, Mr Biden said: “The truth is there’s not been nearly enough evidence that has been acquired as to whether or not it is a gateway drug.
“It’s a debate, and I want a lot more before I legalise it nationally. I want to make sure we know a lot more about the science behind it.”
Also, Mr Biden’s then-VP candidate, Kamala Harris, said Mr Biden would decriminalise recreational use.
Now, as Amazon is getting in the ring, the pressure is mounting on the president.
