Kamala Harris now fully supports the legalization of marijuana at the federal level, The San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Senator Harris discussed her opinions on recreational marijuana use in an interview with a syndicated radio show called “The Breakfast Club.” In the interview, Harris said she had smoked weed before in college.
“I have and I did inhale,” Harris told the hosts of the show. Her statement was a reference to former President Bill Clinton campaign comments in 1992 when he claimed that he smoked marijuana, but “didn’t inhale.”
Harris hasn’t always fully supported legalization. According to The San Francisco Chronicle, Harris did not back legalization until last year. In 2010, while serving as San Francisco’s district attorney, she opposed a state-wide ballot measure to legalize marijuana because she believed it was a flawed piece of public policy.
Harris has since changed her mind and now looks favorably on legalization.
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“I think it gives people joy, and we need a lot more joy in the world,” Harris said.
While she believes that it can give people joy, Harris admitted that she does have some concerns about marijuana use. She pointed out that further research could be done on the impact of marijuana on the developing brain if marijuana is legalized at the federal level.
According to Politico, Harris also discussed issues of race and mass incarceration in relation to recreational marijuana use in her interview. She said she would be in favor of some form of reparations.
Harris’ campaign also sent an email petition to her supporters asking them to support legalization, The San Francisco Chronicle reports. The email briefly outlined her “pathway toward legalization.”
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