As outside players continue to show interest in and support of the cannabis space, Amazon is the most recent actor to flex its voice in a favorable reform statement that could have major implications moving forward.

This past week, we covered news about how the second-largest private employer in the U.S. plans to eliminate drug testing for its workers. Amazon also announced its support of the reintroduced Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, a bill to legalize cannabis at the federal level.

One of the most powerful companies in the U.S.—and the world—Amazon isn’t the only outside actor providing an influential voice. In April, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said his company would “absolutely” consider cannabis delivery when the road is clear to do so.

When some of the most prominent business leaders in the world show an interest in cannabis reform, people take notice, including those who legislate our public policies in Congress. That momentum could be contagious and carry its weight to benefit those who have already invested all of their chips into the industry.

We’ve rounded up some of the major cannabis headlines from the week right here:

“Cannabis industry associations applauded Amazon’s decision to eliminate drug testing for marijuana and the company’s support for the MORE Act,” Senior Editor Zach Mentz writes in his coverage of the company’s policy change. Read more
Assistant Editor Andriana Ruscitto reports that “cannabis consumption lounges could finally be making their way to Nevada,” after two previous attempts by Las Vegas never became a reality because of “setbacks and political debates from the rival gaming industry.” Read more
National Cannabis Roundtable co-founder Christopher Jensen explains what the trade association is focusing on next “now that the SAFE Banking Act is on its way to the Senate, where there is hope it will finally pass after making its way through the House multiple times,” Editor Michelle Simakis writes in her Q&A feature, which details other challenges holding the industry back. Read more
“Organic living soil allows a plant to easily access which essential nutrients it needs when it needs them,” contributor Allison Troutner writes in her column that includes five tips to maintain a healthy soil for indoor cannabis facilities. Read more
Harborside Inc. announced Tuesday that it signed a definitive agreement to acquire Sublimation Inc. (Sublime), an award-winning cannabis manufacturing company in Oakland, Calif., for a total consideration of $43.8 million. Read more

And elsewhere on the web, here are the stories we’ve been reading this week:

The Seattle Times: “As the medical community witnessed the efficacy and heard more from the public about their interest in cannabis-based medicine, more providers became willing to have an open conversation.” Read more
The Spokesman-Review: “The National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Cancer Institute, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and the National Institute of Mental Health published a joint notice in the National Institutes of Health Guide to establish a standard THC unit [5 milligrams] to be used in research studies funded by these institutions.” Read more
NPR: “Since 1968, U.S. researchers have been allowed to use cannabis from only one domestic source: a facility based at the University of Mississippi, through a contract with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).” Read more
Forbes: “A young boy and his single mother are in the midst of a 1,000-mile walk across the United Kingdom, a journey they are making to raise awareness and funds to provide medicinal cannabis to chronically ill patients.” Read more
The Associated Press: “The leader of the organization that sponsored the voter-approved Mississippi medical marijuana initiative that was recently blocked in court says the program should be changed and improved by the state Legislature—but not by too much.” Read more]]>