I wrote this article due to the misleading information found on Wikipedia. Although, it would be easy to believe that Tobacco and Alcohol Companies have a vested interest in Partnership for a Free America, it is not true. http://www.drugfree.org/faq#aren%e2%80%99t-you-funded-by-the-alcohol-and-tobacco-companies I want to make this point clear because many people do not do their due diligence when looking up the facts to support their arguments for the War on Drugs.
Since we have cleared this up, I would still like to point out that Big Pharma does in fact have a vested interest in this organization. It is difficult for me to say that companies like Pfizer want to keep marijuana illegal, but medical marijuana does pose a huge threat to Big Pharma. It is quasi-legal in 15 states and is already estimated to be a 1.8 billion dollar industry. If you have noticed there are less big corporations involved in the medical marijuana industry, and in many states that you do see a flourishing industry dispensaries the economic format follows a mom and pop model and even patients grow their own cannabis.
Obviously, a medicine that can be grown safely by patients poses a threat to Big Pharma, however, I can not make a blind accusation stating that Big Pharma is in fact sponsoring programs to stunt this industry. Many of Big Pharma’s current products like Vicodin and Oxy-Contin have a high potential for abuse so this partnership could be in fact for their own concern over the products that they currently sell.
Sorry Anti-Drug War advocates, I support your cause, just not this particular argument.
The Weed Street Journal
