When President Joe Biden announced his administration was moving marijuana to Schedule III, he didn’t highlight potential tax savings for companies like Curaleaf, which could save over $150 million in taxes this year. Instead, he framed the move as a racial justice policy, calling it “an important move towards reversing long-standing inequities,” despite a lack of factual support.
This week, the Parabola Center for Law and Policy, a nonprofit drug policy think tank, released new survey research on American values and beliefs on marijuana legalization. Conducted in collaboration with RTI International and based on surveys of over 200 respondents from across the country, the research indicates that Americans care most about social equity and ending arrests when it comes to cannabis legalization.
Survey Results: Who Should Benefit from Legalization?
The survey asked respondents who they trusted to create good cannabis policy, and the results showed a strong preference for people with lived experience. Conversely, respondents did not trust executives from the tobacco, alcohol, or pharmaceutical industries, given the widespread harm those industries have caused.
When asked who should benefit from making cannabis legal, respondents overwhelmingly indicated that people who use it for medical purposes, workers in the cannabis industry, and those harmed by marijuana laws should benefit. They did not think large corporations should benefit, with less than one-third of respondents believing that the tobacco and alcohol industries should gain from legalization. They favored small business owners, locally owned businesses, and recreational users benefiting from legalization.
Corporate Interests vs. Genuine Reform
Advocates argue that allowing corporate interests to lead cannabis reform, using promises of equity as a facade, undermines the true goals of legalization. The SAFER Banking Act, for instance, is often hailed as a game-changer for minority-owned businesses. However, in reality, it primarily benefits large players by giving them access to more capital, allowing market consolidation. Similarly, the push to grant cannabis companies access to stock exchanges is seen as a move that disproportionately benefits large corporations.
Many advocates are concerned about the idea that removing ownership limits for corporations will improve social equity. They argue that this will only lead to monopolies similar to those in the tobacco and alcohol industries, which would be detrimental to the principles of equity and justice.
Advocacy and the Role of Corporate Lobbyists
Advocacy organizations that claim to represent the people must avoid following the lead of corporate executives focused on profit maximization. By leaving the details of regulation to corporate lobbyists, these organizations enable a system that pays lip service to equity while preserving the status quo.
The Coalition for Cannabis Policy, Education, and Regulation (CPEAR), which includes companies behind major cigarette brands, spent over $680,000 lobbying on marijuana last year. Despite their claims of being a science-driven resource for lawmakers, their actions suggest a different agenda. CPEAR held an off-the-record happy hour on Capitol Hill to celebrate a report pushing increased enforcement measures and reviving marijuana tax stamps.
Concrete Steps for Genuine Reform
Advocates believe the Biden administration could take several concrete steps to address inequities in marijuana policy. These steps include ending marijuana-related deportations, allowing states to collaborate on social equity initiatives, expanding pardons and commutations to cover all conduct that is now legal, and calling on Congress to legalize marijuana in a way that protects public health and workers while preventing monopolization by the tobacco, alcohol, and pharmaceutical industries.
Conclusion
Policymakers and advocates face a critical choice: will they allow corporate interests to co-opt cannabis reform behind a facade of social justice, or will they push for real reform that prioritizes people over profits? The answer will determine the future of cannabis legalization in America and its impact on social equity and justice.
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