Cannabis Advocates Can Look To Alcohol's Past For Responsible Future

As President Biden promotes a rebuilding of America’s physical and social infrastructure—a 2021 version of the New Deal—it’s easy to draw parallels to the end of alcohol’s Prohibition in 1933. 

The architect of the original New Deal, F.D.R. recognized that a legal alcohol industry would be a critical economic driver, creating desperately needed jobs and tax revenue. Biden, too, has a similar opportunity: the legalization of cannabis can and will have tremendous benefits for today’s economy.

But as alcohol sales came out of the darkness and into the light, there were lingering public opinion challenges associated with alcohol consumption. The cannabis industry can learn from this important history—and we owe it to our consumers and to ourselves to tackle these complex policy issues before we benefit from the end of prohibition. 

As a long-time veteran of the alcohol industry, I witnessed firsthand how producers, distributors and retailers across the country worked relentlessly to instill responsibility into both consumers' consumption as well as regulatory structures. While it may seem obvious, it took the alcohol industry time to hone its commitment to responsibility.

For instance, anti-drunk driving laws have been on the books since 1910. America had the tools to reduce alcohol-involved crashes almost immediately after the original Ford Model T automobile launch. But it wasn’t until the late 1970s that public awareness of the dangers of driving while inebriated began to crystalize. The formation of Mothers Against Drunk Driving in 1980 was a watershed moment. Extensive educational efforts by community and traffic safety groups and the alcohol industry led to a 50 percent decrease in drunk driving fatalities in the decades to follow. While this is important progress, the work on this issue continues since drunk driving still accounts for about 30 percent of the nation’s traffic deaths each year.  

The legal cannabis industry is, by comparison, at a very early stage of development, and its stakeholders are determined to start strong on responsibility. By acting now as legalization measures are just being crafted and public support for legalization skyrockets across the United States, we can shape public knowledge and perception from the outset and nip potentially harmful cannabis-related behaviors in the bud.

That’s why the U.S. Cannabis Council, founded earlier this year, immediately turned to partner with Responsibility.org, a respected leader in the fight to end impaired driving and underage drinking. This year, Responsibility.org will mark its 30th anniversary—three decades of uniting leaders in the distilled spirits industry to supply resources and solutions that save lives and improve conversations around alcohol. The USCC is eager to leverage the Responsibility.org library of best practices to help mold our emerging industry with responsibility top of mind. We are now proud to announce a formal partnership between the two organizations. 

In the coming weeks and months, we will be introducing an array of programs aimed at eliminating multiple substance impaired driving and educating Americans about responsible cannabis consumption. As cannabis legalization unfolds, we will also work to pair increased access for adults with appropriate restrictions on underage consumption by advocating for sensible, effective policies modeled after effective alcohol laws. We will build on the efforts of Responsibility.org to arm parents and teachers with resources to help ensure that underage youths become smart decision-makers and have the tools they need to become smart-decision-makers who say no to underage cannabis consumption and yes to responsible healthy choices.

Cannabis legalization can bring economic, social justice, and equity advantages to the nation—if we foster a culture of responsibility that allows the industry to safely flourish. This is the mission of the U.S. Cannabis Council, the goal behind our partnership with Responsibility.org, and the invitation we extend to all stakeholders and policymakers to collaborate with us in creating the right regulatory and public awareness environment for safe, legal, responsibly consumed cannabis.

We are proud of this partnership—and hopeful for the responsible future it will help foster.

David Culver is the vice president of global government relations at Canopy Growth Corp CGC.

Encuentra nuestro contenido en Español en El Planteo:

• Marihuana vs. Alcohol: ¿Cuál es la Diferencia?
• ¿Más Marihuana = Menos Alcohol? Investigadores Examinan la Correlación