US Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday voiced her support for legalising marijuana, speaking publicly on the issue for the first time since she became the Democratic Party’s nominee, US media reported.
Harris defended her record as a prosecutor, promised to decriminalise marijuana and push for police reform in an effort to build support among black men in an interview with radio host Charlamagne Tha God on Tuesday. Charlamagne, a black comedian and author who hosts The Breakfast Club radio programme, is known for his blunt interviews with celebrities.
Although he supports Harris, he has criticised her and President Joe Biden in the past and called Democrats “cowards” for not effectively prosecuting the case against Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. He asked Harris to respond to rumours that she has disproportionately jailed black men in more than a dozen years as San Francisco district attorney.
“It’s simply not true,” Harris said, adding that she has been called “one of the most progressive prosecutors” on marijuana cases. She said she would push to decriminalise marijuana if she became president because she knows how the laws hurt some groups, especially black men.
Some polls show Harris has less black male support than Biden in the 2020 election.
Her campaign and allies, including former US President Barack Obama, are working to win them back in Michigan and other states that will be decided by small margins.
Harris said one of the biggest challenges she faces is misinformation from the Trump team aimed at black voters. She also added:
“They are trying to scare people away because they know they otherwise have nothing to run on.”
Recreational use of marijuana is currently legal in 24 states and the District of Columbia, where the capital, Washington, D.C., is located. In addition, 38 of the 50 states allow medical use of marijuana, although it remains illegal in some states and at the federal level.
Support from African-Americans
During the interview, Harris also talked about reparations for the African-American community as a way to repair the historical damage of slavery, and when Charlamagne asked if he supported such a measure – a historic demand of the black community – Harris said the issue should be studied.
With 20 days before the election, Harris is trying to reach out to the black community at a time when polls show some African-Americans are leaning toward Trump or choosing not to vote. Harris and other party leaders are trying to address the phenomenon and win back voters who have traditionally voted for Democrats.
Last week, former President Barack Obama spoke to a group of African-American men at Harris’ campaign office in Pittsburgh. Obama noted that some “brothers” seemed to have a hard time voting for a woman and that Harris’ support was lower than when he ran, so he urged them to support the vice president and get to the polls.
On Monday, Harris unveiled a plan with specific measures for African-American men, including providing one million loans to African-American entrepreneurs, protecting cryptocurrency assets and increasing investment in training and accreditation programmes in black communities. The plan also calls for increased investment in researching diseases that disproportionately affect African American men, such as prostate cancer or diabetes.
