The Marlboro of marijuana
The legal cannabis industry is run by minnows. As liberalisation spreads, that may not last
The Economist (UK)
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Would household names really consider selling cannabis? They already have. In 1969 a Philip Morris executive wrote to the Justice Department, requesting a sample of marijuana for testing. In 1970 British American Tobacco put together a blueprint for a “cannabis-loaded cigarette”. Cannabis is certainly controversial. But then so is lung cancer. It may well be that the executives best placed to make a mint from marijuana, once it is fully legal across America, are the Marlboro men themselves. (See also: The legalisation of marijuana isn't just about liberal values - it's about dollars)
