That’s where she stands on marijuana – Carswellfamilyfoundation

Marijuana is on the ballot in four states this Election Day, and voters may want to understand how presidential candidates I’m thinking about its potential legalization.

Democratic Party Candidate Kamala Harriswhose aggressive prosecution marijuana-related crimes in the past has sparked debate, accepted more progressive approach to marijuana legislation since its involvement in federal politics.

This year, voters in Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Florida will see marijuana on their ballots. Specifically, recreational marijuana measures will be discussed in Florida, North Dakota and South Dakota, and medical marijuana will be on the ballot in Nebraska. And in Massachusetts, where marijuana for medical and recreational purposes is already legal, voters will weigh the possibility legalization of psychedelics.

But it’s not just in these four states that Americans are talking about marijuana. In fact, 88% of adults in the US believe marijuana should be legal for medical or recreational use, and 57% believe marijuana should be legal for both purposes, according to Pew Research Center Study published in March.

Recent external support

IN mail On Sunday on X (formerly Twitter), Harris said the Harris-Waltz agenda supports the legalization of recreational marijuana.

“I will legalize recreational marijuana, break down unfair legal barriers, and create opportunities for all Americans to succeed in this new industry,” the US President said. mail reads.

In a September interview with the magazine podcast “ALL THE SMOKE”, Harris said her position on legalizing marijuana was one she had held for a long time.

“I just feel strongly that people shouldn’t be put in jail for smoking pot, and we know historically what that meant and who went to jail.” Harris told hosts Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. “Secondly, I just feel like we’ve come to a point where we need to realize that we need to legalize this and stop criminalizing this behavior. Actually, this is not a new position for me. we need to legalize this.”

As Vice President, Harris backs Biden’s federal pardon for every American who have used marijuana in the past, including people who have never been arrested or prosecuted, was enacted in 2023. She also advocated reclassification of marijuana into a less dangerous drug.

Redevelopment support

In May, The Biden administration’s Justice Department has decided to reclassify marijuana. from a Schedule I to Schedule III drug, which Harris supported.

Currently, marijuana is Schedule I drugwhich are drugs that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) defines as having “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” Other Schedule I drugs include heroin, LSD, ecstasy, and methaqualone.

Schedule III drugson the other hand, are defined as having “moderate or low potential for physical and psychological dependence.” Examples include drugs containing less than 90 milligrams of codeine per dosage unit, ketamine, anabolic steroids, and testosterone.

The Ministry of Justice has not yet made a final decision on this issue.

More aggressive past

While Harris and her campaign have shown outright support for legalizing recreational marijuana during the campaign, her stance on the drug has not always been so progressive.

While Harris served as California’s attorney general and San Francisco’s district attorney. prosecution of marijuana crimes.

As San Francisco district attorney, prosecutors convicted more than 1,900 people of cannabis-related crimes from 2004 to 2011, according to Harris. PBS. And during her tenure as California attorney general, more than 2,000 Californians were jailed for marijuana-related crimes, according to Reuters.

While running for California attorney general—for her first term and then for re-election—Harris opposed the legalization of recreational marijuana.

“There are significant concerns about how we will detect and define impairment for the purposes of legal or illegal driving,” Harris said of California’s 2016 legalization of recreational marijuana, according to Sacramento Bee. “These are real details, and I take a matter like (this) seriously that we’ve thought through the details.”

Changes at the federal level

Harris’ stance on marijuana appeared to change when she became a U.S. senator in 2017.

During her 2020 presidential campaign, Harris proposed legislation This would legalize marijuana at the federal level, in addition to expunging marijuana-related convictions, providing services to individual victims of the “war on drugs,” providing funding to states and local organizations to fund marijuana-related small businesses, and funding programs to minimize marijuana consumption. Licensing and labor barriers.

“I inhaled”

Perhaps one of Harris’ most popular comments about marijuana came from Harris in a 2019 interview. radio show “The Breakfast Club” that she smoked marijuana.

“I inhaled,” Harris said. “It was a long time ago, but yeah.” The comment was a reference to a comment former President Bill Clinton made that he “didn’t internalize” during his 1992 presidential run.

Greta Cross is a national trends reporter for USA TODAY. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Write to her at [email protected].