Former Amazon CEO and current Space Cowboy Jeff Bezos recently vowed to help make Amazon "Earth's Best Employer". In more pertinent Leaflet news, the online retail behemoth recently announced that the company will no longer drug test potential employees for cannabis. It also declared its support for cannabis reform and endorsed the MORE Act. So what are we to make of Amazon's grand cannabis gestures? Well, like most things that Amazon does, its sudden passion for cannabis reform is both helpful, and self-serving.
(Giddy up.)
Let's start with the helpful bit. Amazon is now the
nation's second largest employer, with over half a
million domestic employees. So its decision will have a
significant impact and will hopefully serve as a model for other
companies that currently subject their employees to the pointless indignity of random drug
tests. Its support for cannabis reform at the federal
level is also welcome. Now for the self-serving
part. Late last year, in the throes of the
pandemic, Michael Thomas interviewed for a job as
a "Sorter Associate" to
sort packages at Amazon's fulfillment center in
Staten Island. On the day of his interview, the company
made him a job offer contingent upon him passing a drug test.
After a month of radio silence, Thomas contacted Amazon and learned
that his offer had been rescinded because the test had revealed low
levels of THC in his blood. Thomas responded by filing a
class action lawsuit against Amazon seeking millions of dollars
in damages. Naturally, some
folks now wonder whether Amazon's shift in cannabis policy was
less about being the best employer on earth, and more about heading
off potential lawsuits.
Whatever Amazon's motivations, its support for cannabis reform
provides yet another sign of the accelerating shift in public
opinion when it comes to cannabis. Two in three
Americans now support full legalization. A recent study
by the Pew Research Center shows that the number
of "fans of the plant" nearly doubled between 2009 and
2019. And a staggering 91 percent of
Americans agree that marijuana should be legal for medical
use. All of which could mean that 2021 will
mark a turning point in our national debate over cannabis. If
so, then Amazon may be catching the green wave just in the nick of
time.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.