With New Lobbying Clout, Big Pot Has Arrived: Cannabis Weekly

[marmar]

(Bloomberg) Big Alcohol and Big Tobacco have garnered a formidable reputation in the lobbying arena over the years. Big Pot is now looking for a piece of the action.

Disparate players from the cannabis industry banded together last week in a new organization, called the U.S. Cannabis Council, to push their interests in Washington, D.C., and state capitals. Meanwhile, Marlboro maker Altria Group Inc. and Corona beer producer Constellation Brands Inc. are becoming more prominent in advocating for their marijuana investments.

The efforts put muscle behind an industry that has grassroots momentum but lacks a unified voice. Given how many causes it’s rallying behind -- proffering cannabis as a solution to problems as diverse as the opioid epidemic, the pain of chronic diseases, pandemic-related unemployment and America’s racial divide -- the lobbying machine is poised to become a major player.

There’s plenty of room to grow. Last year, just $4 million was spent on marijuana lobbying, according to Open Secrets. That’s measly compared to the $27 million that was spent by tobacco lobbyists, and roughly $30 million from the beer, wine and liquor industry. .........(more)

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-14/with-new-lobbying-clout-big-pot-has-arrived-cannabis-weekly?srnd=premium

[abqtommy]

1. I have mixed feelings about this. After using pot and alcohol in my younger days I no longer

imbibe in either. And upon reflection I'm very sorry that I ever got involved with pot. I am glad that
pot has been legalized though. I never got busted, it's just that pot turned out to be more of a
problem than a solution for me.

[Midnight Writer]

2. I hate to see cannabis go corporate.

Next we will be getting crap product from impoverished countries with factory farms using pesticides and herbicides and near-slave labor.

I much prefer the model of local growers with a passion for their products.

I talked to a young lady a while back who works for a legal dispensary. She loves her job partly because she is well paid and the owners are involved people who really care about their business.