Logically, we can infer the story is probably a false rumor. It makes no business sense to invest in equipment, factories, and flounder the consequent employee wages in setting up the equipment and factories if marijuana is no closer to legalization (on the federal level) than it was when it was banned. I find the argument of "so they can be the first company" to be fallacious because since Marlboro is such a large corporation they could afford to invest and set-up the equipment within a relative heartbeat of legalization, perhaps within months of being signed into law. For any small companies to beat them to the proverbial punch would be trivial, Goliath beats David.