Vice President Kamala Harris has expressed her support for the federal legalization of marijuana, going beyond President Joe Biden’s stance on the issue. In an interview on the podcast “All the Smoke,” Harris stated that she believes it is time to legalize marijuana and stop criminalizing its use. This marks the first time she has publicly addressed marijuana policy since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee.
The Biden administration had previously directed the Drug Enforcement Administration to consider reclassifying marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug under the Controlled Substances Act. This move followed Biden’s recommendation for a review of how marijuana is scheduled under federal law.
Harris emphasized her belief that people should not be incarcerated for using marijuana, acknowledging historical disparities in who has been disproportionately affected by such criminalization.
While Harris has supported legalization in recent years, her position on marijuana has evolved over time. She faced criticism during a 2019 Democratic presidential debate for aggressively prosecuting marijuana-related offenses during her tenure as San Francisco’s district attorney and later as California’s attorney general. However, as a U.S. Senator, she co-sponsored legislation aimed at ending federal prohibition of marijuana and supported expunging nonviolent cannabis-related crimes.
President Donald Trump’s stance on marijuana has also shifted over time. While he endorsed Florida’s initiative to legalize recreational use for adults over 21 in 2024, his administration rescinded previous guidelines that discouraged federal prosecution of cannabis offenses in states where it was legal under state law.
It remains unclear where Vice President Harris stands on this issue within her current campaign, as her position is not stated on her campaign website. Meanwhile, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who is running alongside Harris as her vice-presidential candidate, recently avoided addressing the question of legalization and suggested leaving it up to individual states to decide their own policies regarding cannabis use.
