Dear friend,
As you know, we have long said the marijuana industry was using the playbook of Big Tobacco to expand its addiction-for-profit scheme.
We’ve exposed this industry and its nefarious dealings at every turn and loudly let the world know when Big Tobacco giant Altria became the first addiction titan to invest billions of dollars into the marijuana industry.
Now, Altria has officially registered to lobby in support of marijuana commercialization in Virginia.
According to exclusive reporting from Cannabis Wire, Altria is officially registered to "lobby on ‘issues Related to the Responsible and Equitable Regulation of Cannabis Sales in Virginia for Altria Client Services LLC and its Affiliates — Philip Morris USA Inc., John Middleton Co., U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co., and Altria Summit LLC…'"
Furthermore, Altria’s spokesperson made it clear that the Marlboro maker supports federal legalization of marijuana:
"Altria supports the federal legalization of cannabis under an appropriate regulatory framework. As a stakeholder in this industry we intend to work with policymakers and regulators in support of a transparent, responsible, and equitable operating environment for the sale of cannabis…"
As former Speaker of the House turned marijuana lobbyist John Boehner put it two years ago, Big Tobacco is officially no longer "staying on the sidelines."
Take a look at what he said about Big Tobacco’s next frontier back in 2018:
