Kamala Harris: where does she stand on cannabis?

Like many politicians, Democratic Senator Kamala Harris, the vice-presidential candidate, by Joe Biden For the upcoming U.S. presidential election, attitudes toward drug policy have evolved over the years.

While serving as San Francisco District Attorney, Kamala Harris oversaw the prosecution of cannabis-related offenses, resulting in nearly 2,000 convictions during her tenure, which lasted from 2004 to 2010. Also during that time, she co-authored a statement opposing a cannabis legalization measure in 2010. And as California’s attorney general in 2014, she laughed when a reporter asked her if she would support the legalization of cannabis for recreational use.

But as her career progressed on the national stage—following her election as a California senator in 2016—Harris’s stance on cannabis began to soften. She went on to express her support for several pro-cannabis bills. In 2018, she notably co-sponsored the Marijuana Justice Act, a bill that would remove cannabis from the national list of controlled substances.

«Right now, in this country, people are being arrested, prosecuted, and ultimately spending time in prison—all because they used a drug that could be considered legal,» he declared Harris, in a statement announcing her support for the bill: «Legalizing cannabis at the federal level is the smartest thing to do; it’s the right thing to do. I know this as a former prosecutor, and I know this as a senator.»

A year later, as a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, Harris revealed that she had personal experience with cannabis. During an appearance on the popular radio show The Breakfast Club, she told host Charlamagne Tha God that she had smoked marijuana in college.

«I did. And I inhaled,» he declared Harris, referring to the Bill Clinton's famous quote. «I inhaled. It was a long time ago, but yes.»

«You know, I’m joking about this—sort of—but half my family is from Jamaica! » she added, a remark that drew criticism from her Jamaican father for perpetuating a stereotype «in line with identity politics.».

Her statement also drew some criticism. Kamala Harris had said she listened to Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur while she was smoking, but neither artist had released any songs in 1986.

In October 2019, Harris reiterated her support for cannabis policy reform in a CNN editorial.

«The fact is that cannabis laws have not been enforced equally for everyone. The data shows that a person of color is much more likely than a white person to be arrested for cannabis possession, despite evidence that Americans use marijuana at roughly the same rate, regardless of race,» Harris wrote.

«As public opinion on marijuana shifts toward legalization, it is time for us to act wisely and ensure that any legislation reforming cannabis adequately addresses the harm caused by the failure of past drug policies,» she continued. .

As a senator, Kamala Harris also signed two other important cannabis bills, including the MORE Act on the legalization, reinvestment, and decriminalization of marijuana, which would legalize cannabis at the federal level and enact provisions to address the harms caused by the failure of the war on drugs. She is also a co-sponsor of a banking bill, the SAFE Act, that would guarantee cannabis businesses access to banking services.