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

marlboro-marijuanaWould 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)