Going into space isn’t the only way Jeff Bezos wants to get high

On the same day that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and his fellow travelers flew into space on the New Shepard rocket, his company took action to lobby for cannabis reform legislation. Bills like that Marihuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Exungement (MORE) Actif passed, “removes marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act list and removes criminal penalties for any person who manufactures, distributes, or possesses marijuana”.

The retail giant and one of the largest employers in the country made $ 21.3 billion in net income in 2020while legal cannabis sales in the United States exceeded $ 17.5 billion. Bills like the MORE Act were passed in the House of Representatives but keep falling behind in the Senate, and many cannabis activists, like the leaders of the Marijuana Policy Project and the Drug Policy Alliance, believe that Amazon’s support could tip the legislative balance in their favor.

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“I think if Amazon were able to politically support federal reform and fund efforts at the state level, it would be a net gain for the cannabis reform movement in this country,” said Matthew Schweich, deputy director of the Marijuana Policy Project. said Politico.

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This is nowhere near the first time Amazon has expressed its financial or political interest in cannabis. In February the company announced the start of a pilot program for Seller of CBD Infused Products for UK Branch, although thousands of unregulated CBD products are searchable for sale on the American side.

On June 1, the company announced changes to its drug testing policy and would stop disqualifying candidates and employees who tested positive for marijuana. In the same memo, as part of their “The best employer in the world and the safest job in the world”Initiative, Amazon expressed its support for the MORE Act and encouraged others to get involved.

Other billionaires seem to have the same idea. Tesla and SpaceX Elon Musk has smoked publicly Cannabis with Joe Rogan and expressed in a tweet last yearwhich has since garnered over 680,000 likes that “selling weed in much of America literally went from a serious crime to an essential business (opened during the pandemic) and yet many are still in jail. Makes no sense, is not right. “

RELATED: Buying Weed On Amazon? Don’t hold your breath

Charles Koch, the 85-year-old billionaire, is CEO of Koch Industries Reportedly ready to drop $ 25 million to advance the fight against ending Prohibition. He has supported similar efforts for years through his advocacy group, Americans for Prosperity, which helps free those jailed for cannabis crimes, and has spent more than $ 70 million on the cause. A recent Forbes article revealed similar goals and actions by the likes of Bill Gates and Jay-Z.

Whether they’re breaking the stratosphere or lobbying for weed, America’s billionaires want to take their businesses to the next level. It’s only a matter of time before we see what their actions mean for the rest of us.