E-commerce giant Amazon has said it is supporting the effort to reform America’s cannabis policy as part of its advocacy for equitable workplaces. 

The company has previously expressed support for legalisation and the expungement of cannabis-related criminal records and investing, as well as recently announcing its support for the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act and more recently the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA).

Amazon has already removed cannabis testing from its pre-employment screenings in a bid to expand its applicant pool, commenting in a letter to Senate leaders that: “Historically, criminal marijuana provisions have been unequally enforced upon people of color, perpetuating a vicious cycle of over-incarceration, poverty, health conditions, and other barriers to employment and economic opportunity. 

“Likewise, pre-employment marijuana testing has disproportionately affected communities of color by stalling job placement and, by extension, economic growth. We believe this inequitable treatment is unacceptable.” 

Commenting in a policy update, Beth Galetti, senior vice president of human resources at Amazon, said: “As we shared earlier this year, we aim to become Earth’s Best Employer, and as part of that journey, we know that our local communities and future generations need us to be better every day—thus the creation of our new Leadership Principle, Success and Scale Bring Broad Responsibility. 

“Together, these principles speak to our responsibility to effect change and are our impetus for both driving for societal change and maintaining the right internal policies to ensure a great workplace with equitable and consistent hiring practices for all candidates. That’s why we strongly believe the time has come to reform the nation’s cannabis policy, and we are committed to helping lead the effort.

“We are enthused by the notable momentum in the country toward recognizing that today’s status quo is unfair and untenable. We look forward to working with Congress and other supporters to secure necessary reform of the nation’s cannabis laws.”

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