Vice President Harris speaks at a roundtable on marijuana reform that included rapper Fats Joe and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.
Kent Nishimura/AFP through Getty Photos
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Kent Nishimura/AFP through Getty Photos
Vice President Harris speaks at a roundtable on marijuana reform that included rapper Fats Joe and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.
Kent Nishimura/AFP through Getty Photos
Vice President Harris on Friday urged the Drug Enforcement Administration to work as shortly as potential on its evaluate of whether or not to reschedule marijuana as a less-dangerous drug.
Harris made her feedback throughout a roundtable dialog about marijuana reform with rapper Fats Joe, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, and a number of other individuals who have acquired pardons for prior marijuana convictions.
“No person ought to must go to jail for smoking weed,” Harris stated, framing the problem of marijuana reform as a prison justice challenge that disproportionately hurts Black and Latino males.
This was a marketing campaign promise from 2019
Throughout his 2019 marketing campaign, Biden pledged he would decriminalize marijuana and expunge prior convictions for pot use. He stated he would assist legalization for medical use — however depart selections about leisure use as much as the states.
Biden has pardoned folks convicted of straightforward possession below federal regulation and D.C. statute — although the overwhelming majority of convictions occur on the state stage. Harris praised Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear for addressing the problem in his state, and inspired different states to observe his lead.
Marijuana is at present categorized as a Schedule I drug — as harmful as heroin — which Harris known as “absurd” and “unfair.” Throughout his marketing campaign, Biden stated he would reschedule it.
In 2022, weeks earlier than the midterm elections, Biden introduced that he had requested Well being and Human Providers and the Justice Division to evaluate that classification. HHS completed its half of the evaluate final 12 months, however the DEA has not.
“I can not emphasize sufficient that they should get to it as shortly as potential, and we have to have a decision primarily based on their findings and their evaluation,” Harris stated on Friday.
Biden talked about the problem in his State of the Union deal with
Biden talked about marijuana reform in his State of the Union deal with, saying “Nobody ought to be jailed for utilizing or possessing marijuana.”
The difficulty polls notably properly with younger voters — a demographic that has turn into much less enthused about Biden particularly over the way in which he has dealt with Israel’s warfare in Gaza.
Marijuana reform additionally got here up this week in Milwaukee, when Biden toured his celebration’s marketing campaign headquarters for Wisconsin. One supporter held up an indication praising Biden for his point out of the problem within the State of the Union.
“I am caring for that,” Biden stated.
