Vice President Kamala Harris announced the All the smoke Monday morning, she said she wanted to legalize the consumption of marijuana, this is the first time she has stated her support since the launch of her presidential campaign.
“I’m a firm believer that people shouldn’t go to jail for smoking weed,” Harris said. “We know historically what that means and who went to prison.”
The Democratic candidate stressed to basketball stars Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson that this had been a priority for her for a long time. The duo’s podcast often discusses the herb, particularly around its medicinal and therapeutic uses for professional athletes.
AP Photo/Sam Morris/Julio Cortez
“We’ve gotten to a point where we have to understand that we have to legalize this and stop criminalizing this behavior,” Harris said. “This is not a new position for me. I have long believed that this behavior should be legalized.”
And this feeling is not lost on many young Republicans. According to data released in March by the Pew Research Center, 57% of Republicans aged 18 to 20 support legalizing marijuana for medical and recreational purposes. Among older Republicans, 52 percent of those ages 30 to 49 shared similar sentiments.
Overall, 42 percent of Republicans support legalizing marijuana for both medical and recreational use. There is a large majority of Republicans of all ages in favor of legalizing marijuana, at least for medical purposes.
For Democrats, 72% of party members believe marijuana should be legal for medical and recreational use. According to Pew, 81 percent of Democrats ages 18 to 20 think marijuana should be legal either way, and 53 percent of Democrats ages 75 and older think so as well.
Hispanic and Asian adults are more likely than black and white adults to say that legalizing recreational marijuana will have negative impacts on safety. Also, 45 percent black, 41 percent white. 39 percent of Hispanic adults and 38 percent of Asian adults said legalization would make the criminal system more fair.
As a senator, Harris introduced a bill to legalize the drug nationwide and expunge nonviolent marijuana offenses. While running for president in 2019, Harris also called for the elimination of nonviolent marijuana-related criminal offenses.
On April 20 of this year, Harris posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that “no one should have to go to jail for smoking weed.”
“We must continue to change our country’s approach to marijuana while reforming the justice system, so that it finally lives up to its name,” Harris said.
Still, as San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general, Harris was criticized for aggressively prosecuting marijuana crimes. She spoke out against Proposition 19, a 2010 ballot measure that would have failed in the Golden State and would have legalized and regulated marijuana.
While Harris made her position clear Monday on the podcast, Gov. Tim Walz dodged a question about marijuana earlier this month. He deferred the issue in an interview with Spectrum News as a matter for Congress.
Earlier this month, Harris’ opponent, former President Donald Trump, posted on his social media platform Truth Social that “it is time to end the unnecessary arrests and incarceration of adults for small amounts of marijuana for personal use.”
“As a Floridian, I will vote YES on Amendment 3 in November,” Trump said on September 8. “As president, we will continue to focus on research to unlock the medical uses of marijuana as a Schedule 3 drug, and working with Congress to pass common-sense laws, including operations secure banking for state-licensed businesses, and support the right of states to pass marijuana laws, like in Florida, that work so well for their citizens.”
Phelan M. Ebenhack via AP
