Buy weed on Amazon? Don’t hold your breath

One of the biggest stories of the past week was the news of Amazon’s newly passed drug policy, which says employees will no longer be tested for marijuana. Every media company known to man had something to say about it. But the basic message carried in all of them was that the company’s willingness to support legalization and abolish pot testing could be a sign of a better time. Perhaps the nation was making real progress on this and would soon be ban free.

A cannabis news agency even published an article with a headline saying borderline click bait predicted that selling cannabis through the online retailer was on the horizon. The publication came out straight away and said“Yes, Amazon is going to sell weed,” appears to be trying to persuade readers by giving them hope that they might soon have the luxury of ordering buds like they do with books or protein powders. The only caveat about the future of Amazon’s speculative marijuana marketplace, does the article say? Well, let’s just say it’s a big one.

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Cannabis advocates believe that all that stands in the way of Amazon becoming one of the largest cannabis retailers in the country is the federal marijuana ban. That once weeds are removed from the Controlled Substances Act, Naturally Amazon will get into the mix like everyone else. Why the hell shouldn’t they? After all, alcohol is legal, and the company recently grabbed part of that promotion. It makes sense that the next logical step would be cannabis. Law?

While it is conceivable that Bezos and his crew will attempt to use marijuana to some extent once it becomes legal nationwide, Amazon’s weed distribution center will not thrive immediately. The company is sure to face a number of challenges when deciding to switch to pot products.

Even if federal law is changed, some states will choose to maintain the cannabis ban. In addition, the company is Getting into alcohol – a completely legal substance – is anything but something to write home about. Search for “alcohol”, “beer”, “wine”, “liquor” on the website and you will inevitably walk to your local liquor store instead. Choices are limited and especially full of non-alcoholic foods and brewing accessories. Amazon may sell alcohol, but only barely.

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Additionally, despite the legality of alcohol at the federal level, some states still do not allow the delivery of alcohol. At the moment, Alabama, Utah, Kentucky, and Mississippi do not allow alcohol shipments of any kind. As for the states that do, the regulations are different for everyone, making it nearly impossible for an international company like Amazon to meet requirements across the board to meet as much as possible to deliver alcohol for everyone.

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Right now, only 12 cities (not states, cities) enjoy the convenience of Amazon’s alcohol sales. That’s just a drop in the ocean for a substance that has been legally available in this country for decades. Rest assured, Amazon will expand if local and state laws allow. But the company still has a long way to go before the liquor stores worry about corner shops.

A fully legal national cannabis market is designed to overcome these regulatory obstacles and probably more.

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Congress stands in the way of Amazon’s potential cannabis business. Despite the unbridled optimism of most cannabis advocates, federal lawmakers are still a long way from legalizing marijuana nationwide. Though Senate Democrats plan to pass sweeping marijuana legalization bill later this year, the quirky upper chamber dynamic – the filibuster Mitch McConnell who the Democrats hate – could and will keep legal weed from going the distance .

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Even if the marijuana reform on Capitol Hill has more support than ever before, there’s a good chance that state legalization won’t take shape for a few years. There is simply not enough bipartisan consensus in the country’s capital to fully advance this issue. Even President Biden doesn’t approve of the Senate’s legalization plan.

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Don’t expect to be buying legal weed from Amazon anytime soon. When this evolution finally occurs, similar to the alcohol business, it will take time to mature beyond a limited range. There is no doubt that cannabis dispensaries will be the legal source of marijuana for many years to come. But when you’re done visiting retailers and hoping to use online sources to fill the void, it might be better to learn how to grow your own.

Amazon may not sell weed or seeds, but there are a variety of books out there about growing cannabis. We suspect they have to start somewhere.