A shot of the sign in front of the Altria group headquarters and Philip Morris USA headquarters in Richmond, Virginia. Credit: Altria.com
Altria has registered for cannabis sales in Virginia, setting it well on its way to becoming one of the world’s biggest and most influential cannabis companies. It is the first time the company lobbied for cannabis in the US, either at the state or federal level.
According to Cannabis Wire, the company specifically 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., US Smokeless Tobacco Co., and Altria Summit LLC.
In December 2018, Altria invested US$1.8 billion in Cronos Group, acquiring a 45% stake in the multinational cannabis company. Since then, Altria has acquired patented marijuana vaporizers and filed new patent applications for proprietary devices.
Last year, the company hired Brownstein Hyatt Farber Shreck, one of the nation’s top cannabis and hemp law firms, on policies related to cannabidiol (CBD) and non-tobacco excise taxes. It also paid lobbyists from Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld to leverage lawmakers on “issues related to hemp-based cannabidiol” as well as a proposal to raise the legal age for tobacco use to 21.
Both houses of the Virginia general assembly passed bills that would legalize adult-use cannabis use and sales in the state. If approved by Gov. Ralph Northam, cannabis sales in Virginia will begin in 2023.