This article was originally published on The Bluntness, and appears here with permission.
As more big business movers and shakers appear to be ratcheting up their incursions into the cannabis industry, industry advocates are stepping up their defense.
In March, the U.S. saw the creation of a federal lobbying group – the Coalition for Cannabis Policy, Education and Regulation – with the goal of advancing a federal regulatory framework for cannabis, and including members from both the tobacco and alcohol industry.
Kassandra Frederique, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance issued a follow-up statement that same month:
Is it big business incursion time for the cannabis industry? Or is the cannabis business itself so big that Congress wants to put more guardrails on how big it can get, and who it can partner with, essentially making cannabis a victim of its own success? Is the industry ready to deal with these big issues? Or should the pushback continue?
Let’s take a look at the breadcrumbs:
1. Big Tobacco
2. Big Alcohol
3. Big Pharma
4. Big Investors
5. Big Agriculture
Time will tell. But there’s a sort of snowball-rolling-down-the-hill effect happening right now as more players take a look at partnerships and product development, with the cover of major corporations that have already done their own due diligence on cannabis and coming to the conclusion: They’re not on the sidelines anymore.
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