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