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HARRIS: Supports Legalized Marijuana Because It Brings “Joy”
In a February 11, 2019 interview on The Breakfast Club, a New York City-based radio program, Sen. Harris was asked to comment on rumors that she opposed the legalization of marijuana. “That’s not true, she replied, laughing. “Look, I joke about it, I have joked about it. Half my family is from Jamaica, are you kidding me?” Harris, who acknowledged having smoked marijuana in college, was also asked whether she would smoke it again if the federal government were to legalize the drug’s recreational use. She laughed and replied: “Listen, I think it gives a lot of people joy. And we need more joy.”
HARRIS: Legalize All Illicit Drugs
In 2019, Sen. Harris filled out an ACLU questionnaire that asked: “Since drug use is better addressed as a public health issue (through treatment and other programming), will you support the decriminalization at the federal level of all drug possession for personal use?” In response, Harris checked the “Yes” box and elaborated: “[T]hroughout my career I have supported treating drug addiction as a public health issue, focusing on rehabilitation over incarceration for drug-related offenses.”
BIDEN: Pardon All Marijuana-Possession Offenses
On October 6, 2022, President Biden announced that he was “pardoning all prior federal offenses of simple marijuana possession,” explaining that “no one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana.” He also exhorted governors to follow his lead and pardon “simple state marijuana possession.”
WALZ: Supporter of Legalized Marijuana for Recreational Use
As a congressman running for governor in 2017, Walz said the following about the prospect of legalizing marijuana for both medical and recreational uses: “We have an opportunity in Minnesota to replace the current failed policy with one that creates tax revenue, grows jobs, builds opportunities for Minnesotans, protects Minnesota kids, and trusts adults to make personal decisions based on their personal freedoms.”
In October 2018, Rep. Walz again called for the full legalization of both medical and recreational marijuana.
On May 30, 2023, Gov. Walz signed House File 100 into law, thereby legalizing the recreational use of cannabis in his state.
DEMOCRATIC PARTY: Decriminalize Marijuana
The Democratic Party’s official 2024 platform says: “No one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana. Sending people to prison for possession has upended too many lives and incarcerated people for conduct that many states no longer prohibit. Those criminal records impose needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities, disproportionately affecting Black and brown people.”