The retail giant Amazon has endorsed a bill that aims to legalise cannabis on the federal level in the United States.
The New York Post reports that Republican congresswoman Nancy Mace’s States Reform Act would legalise cannabis by leaving the individual states to decide “whether to prohibit or regulate it.”
Ms Mace’s plan is to remove cannabis as a federal Schedule I substance and introduce a new three per cent federal tax on the substance.
In an interview, she told the Post: “Every state is different and every state should be able to dictate their cannabis laws. This bill would get the federal government out of the way.”
On Twitter, Amazon, maybe the world’s largest retailer, has announced its support of the proposed bill, “claiming it’s time to reform the nation’s cannabis policy.”
Commenting on the news, Ms Mace said she was approached by the representatives of Amazon after she introduced her bill – however, the company is reportedly not interested in selling the substance on their platform; they’re in for different reasons.
She said: “They’re looking at it from a workers perspective. The prohibitions at the federal level really do affect their workforce.
“[Selling] is not their goal, not their intention. They said that right off the bat. With Amazon coming out in support, we’ll see more businesses doing the same.”
Ms Mace is an avid supporter of a different kind of approach when it comes to cannabis possession and consumption.
She proposed her bill as previous proposals by her Democrat counterparts – and also President Joe Biden – are yet to move the matter forward.
Cannabis-related arrests disproportionately hit those from minority backgrounds, and despite Vice-President Kamala Harris’ pledge, little has changed over the last 12 months.
Amazon, on the other hand, has been making headlines as the company joined lobbying for a law change in the US.
It is no surprise, then, that the company has announced its backing Congresswoman Mace’s proposal that would reduce criminal repercussions for employees consuming cannabis in all states.
