Vice President Kamala Harris pledged Monday to federally legalize cannabis, ensuring that “safe cultivation, distribution and possession of recreational marijuana is the law of the land.”
Harris’ promise is part of a package of initiatives aimed at energizing Black male voters ahead of the November election. The Democratic presidential nominee also said she’ll offer 1 million forgivable loans to Black entrepreneurs, protect cryptocurrency, create a health-equity initiative for Black men and invest more in Black male teachers.
Recent polling suggests that some male Black voters may be drawn to Harris’ rival, former President Donald Trump, or have soured enough on the Democratic Party that they may sit out the election.
In a statement issued Monday, Harris said legalizing recreational pot will “break down unjust legal barriers that hold Black men and other Americans back.”
Harris, a former prosecutor, also promised to fight to create a thriving nationwide cannabis industry, allowing Black men to access business opportunities and jobs.
“It’s a stark contrast with Donald Trump, whose Department of Justice threatened federal prosecutions for marijuana in states where marijuana use is legal, threatening the unjust and disproportionate use of marijuana possession laws to put Black Americans behind bars,” the Harris campaign said.
After Trump won the White House in 2016, his attorney general struck down Obama-era guidelines that instructed federal prosecutors not to interfere with states that legalized pot or adopted cannabis-friendly policies.
However, in September, Trump said he’d vote for a Florida ballot measure to legalize adult recreational marijuana use.
Although Harris has taken heat for her evolving takes on criminal-justice issues, she sponsored a federal cannabis legalization bill as a U.S. senator. Even so, this is the first time she’s unveiled a major cannabis policy position as part of her presidential campaign.
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This article appears in Best of San Antonio 2024.
