Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) spoke at a cannabis event this weekend, emphasizing the need to legalize marijuana in a way that prevents corporate dominance and aims to repair what the senator called “a century of racist policies” under prohibition.
Warren was one of several speakers addressing attendees at an event hosted by the Parabola Center, a cannabis advocacy group focused on equity. The two-day conference includes a “cannabis anti-monopoly crash course” on Saturday and a leadership training session on Sunday. She was joined by others including TV personality Jonathan Van Ness of the Netflix show Queer Eye.
“Legalizing marijuana is about more than just allowing recreational use or the money that can be made from this new market, or even its potential medicinal benefits,” the Massachusetts senator and former presidential candidate said in a pre-recorded video played at the event. “It’s about ending a century of racist policies that disproportionately targeted Black and Latino communities.”
But it is also clear, Warren added, that “legalization alone is not enough.” She warned that “industry giants will do their best to infiltrate before smaller companies and those most affected by the war on drugs have a chance to enter the market.”
“We need to make sure that the communities most impacted by the war on drugs are the first to see the benefits of legalization,” she said. “And we need to make sure that legalization doesn’t just pave the way for big tobacco or alcohol companies or retail giants to come and dominate the cannabis market.”
“Let’s keep this in mind as we see companies like Amazon pushing for cannabis legalization,” Warren continued. “I am deeply skeptical that their lobbying is anything other than a self-serving move to monopolize another market, thereby preventing Black and Latino entrepreneurs from breaking into the industry.”
Elizabeth Warren warns of Amazon, Big Tobacco entering marijuana market at anti-monopoly event: “The giants of the industry will do their best to infiltrate before smaller companies and those most affected by the war on drugs have a chance to enter the market.” https://t.co/nXkzpAtm0Z pic.twitter.com/wUNl1j1Twh
— Marijuana Moment (@MarijuanaMoment) July 13, 2024
“The current situation offers a rare opportunity to shape how a new industry develops from scratch,” she added. “And that means we have the opportunity to avoid repeating the same old story of big companies crowding out small businesses and dominating markets.”
“Massachusetts has already taken important steps to address these injustices, but we have more work to do,” Warren said of her state’s approach to legalization. “Now is the time to get creative and think deeply about how we can ensure fairness and competition in the cannabis industry.”
Shaleen Title, director of the Parabola Center, said Warren is “one of America’s leading public figures in the fight against corporate greed.”
“She knows how difficult it is to control large monopolistic corporations once they have consolidated and metastasized,” Title told Marijuana Moment. “But she is right that with cannabis, we have a chance to prevent that from happening — by focusing instead on equity and justice. That’s what our crash course and leadership training is all about.”
The group’s event took place at the Providence Public Library in Rhode Island.
Queer Eye’s Van Ness thanked conference attendees “for supporting marijuana legalization in a way that puts people over profits.”
“The marijuana industry is at a crossroads,” he said in a video message. “While we’ve made a lot of progress, we still have a long way to go. And now the cannabis industry is really at a crossroads. We have alcohol (and) tobacco that are trying to make this industry even more corporate and exploitative. That’s really not helping small businesses and it’s not helping individuals. We have an opportunity here with marijuana to help heal so many injustices and help people move forward, honey.”
“Marijuana can not only make us feel much better, but it also gives us an opportunity to create a more equitable, more just, and more just world through the lens of marijuana,” Van Ness added. “Remember, this is a long fight and we need resilience and patience.”
This isn’t the first time the Parabola Center has hosted high-profile speakers, including Warren herself. About a year ago, Warren and fellow Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey (D) addressed attendees at a previous Parabola event.
Warren’s latest comments echo previous ones, with warnings about the influence of Amazon and other large corporations and a call to prioritize equity in cannabis policy.
Markey, for his part, said last year that “we all know too well that the war on drugs has been a failure,” adding that the same communities that were disproportionately criminalized under prohibition “rose up and fought for a different future.”
“It is because of their leadership that we are seeing significant change in cannabis legislation across the United States,” he said.
However, like Warren, Markey stressed that “our work is just beginning.”
“A patchwork of state and local laws creates confusion and barriers that big corporations exploit to make big money at the expense of communities already decimated by the war on drugs,” he said at the time. “Congress must legalize cannabis and prioritize equity.”
Meanwhile, a new survey released by the Parabola Center in May indicates that Americans generally want to limit the influence of big business in the cannabis market. Nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults said they want legalization laws to prioritize social equity (68%), end cannabis-related arrests (68%), and ensure legal access to marijuana products (65%).
The vast majority (85%) also believe that legalization should benefit people who use marijuana for medical purposes, while 63% believe the policy change should benefit those who use cannabis for pleasure.
In contrast, less than a quarter of respondents trust pharmaceutical company executives (24%), the federal government (22%), or executives from the tobacco (18%) or alcohol (13%) industries to make good policies.
“The results of this survey reinforce the idea that most Americans support legalization—it’s because they support people, not because they care about corporate profits,” Parabola Center co-founder Shaleen Title told Marijuana Moment when the survey was released. “As policymakers navigate the changing cannabis landscape, if they want to be responsive to voters, they should prioritize the needs and concerns of the public, especially the communities most impacted by the war on drugs, over the financial interests of big business.”
Marijuana use linked to more frequent, better sex, study finds, but dosage is key
Photo element courtesy of Gage Skidmore.
Marijuana Moment is made possible by reader support. If you rely on our cannabis advocacy journalism to stay informed, please consider a monthly donation to our Patreon.
