From Publix Supermarkets to NASCAR, and the obvious pharmaceutical companies, we’ve seen a ridiculously large amount of pushback from various U.S. corporations taking a stand against the outright legalization of medical cannabis nationwide. With this in mind, it’s great to see corporate elites come out in favor of legal cannabis – in whatever fashion.
That’s exactly what Adolphus Busch IV recently did. Busch, the heir to the throne of the Anheuser-Busch beer conglomerate, has been gaining support for medical cannabis legalization in the state of Missouri. Busch is the great-grandson of the founder of the beer corporation.
Busch sent out a letter encouraging Missourians to support a ballot initiative that would establish a comprehensive medical cannabis program in 2018. The letter was penned with the support of the New Approach Missouri campaign, and it called for petition signatures and donations that they hope could result in the issue being voted on in next year’s election in the state.
New Approach Missouri, aka Show-Me Cannabis, is a legal cannabis advocate group in the Show Me state that has been active in Missouri for the past few years. Originally, the organization called for full legalization at the federal level, but focused their attention more on legalization after a 2015 poll indicated their efforts were better spent advocating in incremental baby steps. Reportedly, 70 percent of the Show Me state’s voters support legal medical cannabis.
New Approach Missouri and cannabis advocates in the state present the facts that the national opioid crisis can be effectively reduced if cannabis was offered as a legitimate alternative. Busch’s letter reflects this reality, pointing to recent evidence that shows a 25 percent decrease in overdose deaths in legal herb states.
Unlike other corporate elites who are chomping at the bit to cash in on the legal cannabis green rush, it appears the Busch does not stand to profit or benefit financially from legal medical weed in Missouri. A report from Fox News confirms this, indicating his intentions are likely pure and genuine – at least for the sake of votes in 2018. At this time, it does not appear that Busch will abandon his experience and vast fortune within the brewing industry in favor of legal cannabis.
According to Busch’s report, he and New Approach have collected about 63,000 voter signatures as of September 2017. This is approximately a quarter of the total necessary signatures required to make the legal medical cannabis vote happen in Missouri next year.
