The Democrat from California would support marijuana legalization
Senator Kamala Harris of California has announced that she plans to make a run on the White House in 2020. The presidential hopeful looks to oust President Trump and become the first female president of the U.S. If she reaches her goal, she is prepared to seek marijuana legalization, if it doesn’t find its proper place before then.
Harris is a former district attorney out of San Francisco, as well as California’s former Attorney General. She hasn’t always been a supporter of marijuana, but has changed her stance over the years and is now working to improve cannabis laws. She signed onto a bill that was introduced last year that tried to remove marijuana from the list of federally banned substances and is also the co-sponsor of the SAFE Banking Act, which seeks to protect banks that work with marijuana businesses.
The presidential candidate states in a press release, “Right now in this country people are being arrested, being prosecuted, and end up spending time in jail or prison all because of their use of a drug that otherwise should be considered legal. Making marijuana legal at the federal level is the smart thing to do, it’s the right thing to do. I know this as a former prosecutor and I know it as a senator.”
She has also been quoted as saying, “We need to decriminalize marijuana. We have a problem of mass incarceration in our country. And let’s be clear, the war on drug was a failed war. It was misdirected.”
There is still quite some time before the next presidential election and Trump has already indicated that he behind marijuana reform. However, he has a full plate right now and may not be able to dedicate time to the subject before his term ends. If that’s the case, Harris could pick up where the current administration left off and allow marijuana legalization to find its place.
