For the first time since becoming the Democratic nominee for president, Vice President Kamala Harris (D) voiced her opinions on cannabis reforms, reaffirming in a podcast interview released Monday that she believes in legalizing adult-use cannabis.
“I just think we have come to a point where we have to understand that we need to legalize it and stop criminalizing this behavior,” Harris told the hosts of “All the Smoke,” a sports podcast.
“I just feel strongly people should not be going to jail for smoking weed. And we know historically what that has meant and who has gone to jail.” — Harris, in the interview
Despite her early career as a prosecutor responsible for jailing many cannabis offenders, Harris first endorsed the full legalization of cannabis while serving as a U.S. Senator for California.
Harris’s position on cannabis policy goes further than that of President Joe Biden, who this year initiated the rulemaking process to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under federal law.
Meanwhile, the vice president’s opponent in this year’s presidential race, former President Donald Trump (R), last month announced a major shift in his opinions on cannabis policy, saying that he supports the federal rescheduling of cannabis to Schedule III and giving cannabis companies access to banking services. Trump also said that he is planning to vote “yes” on Amendment 3, Florida’s adult-use cannabis legalization amendment, during the election this November.
Notably, recent polling suggests that voters in several key battleground states strongly favor the legalization of medical and adult-use cannabis; poll respondents also said they supported giving the industry access to traditional banking.
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