Kamala Harris Announces Cannabis Legalization Plan

On October 14, 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris unveiled her plan she would enact as president to legalize cannabis on a national level and to help “break down unjust legal barriers that hold Black men,” (1). Harris’s proposed policy intends to establish a National Health Equity Initiative targeted towards African American men, as well as assistance on loans for African American entrepreneurs.

Harris’s campaign is planning on providing 1 million fully fogiveable loans of up to $20,000 which will be given to African American entrepreneurs (1). According to NY1 (1), “The plan would also invest in programs under the purview of the Department of Education to collaborate with historically Black colleges and universities and to try to increase the number of Black male teachers in public schools. The health initiative would seek to address illnesses such as sickle cell disease, diabetes, mental health, prostate cancer and other health challenges that disproportionately impact Black men.”

“This agenda is a further realization of Vice President Harris’ Opportunity Economy,” Harris-Walz Campaign Co-Chair Cedric Richmond mentioned in a statement (1). “An economy where people don't just get by, but get ahead. Where Black men are equipped with the tools to thrive: to buy a home, provide for our families, start a business and build wealth.”

In the United States, recreational cannabis has been legalized in 24 states, as well as in Washington D.C., and 38 states have legalized medical cannabis (1,2). Back in “a March 15th, 2024, roundtable at the White House, Vice President Kamala Harris discussed cannabis policy and its impacts in the United States,” (3). At the roundtable, Harris focused mainly on the imprisonment of those in jail for cannabis possession and would refer back to her time as prosecutor in California (1,3).

59% of Americans voted in favor of cannabis being legalized for medical or recreational use, according to a 2022 Pew Research Center survey (1,4). With the countdown to the 2024 election coming to its final weeks, the cannabis industry will be keeping a hopeful view that the cannabis plant may one day be federally legal and will no longer have to deal with so many barriers that prevent the industry from moving forward.

References

1. Semyon, C. Harris to propose legalizing recreational marijuana, part of economic agenda aimed at Black men. https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2024/10/14/harris-recreational-marijuana-opportunity-economy-black-men (accessed Oct 15, 2024).
2. Legality of cannabis by U.S. jurisdiction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_cannabis_by_U.S._jurisdiction#:~:text=The%20medical%20use%20of%20cannabis,District%20of%20Columbia%20(D.C.). (accessed Oct 15, 2024).
3. McEvoy, E. Vice president Kamala Harris declares views on Cannabis https://www.cannabissciencetech.com/view/vice-president-kamala-harris-declares-views-on-cannabis (accessed Oct 15, 2024).
4. McEvoy, E. Research reveals consistent support for cannabis legalization in the US https://www.cannabissciencetech.com/view/research-reveals-consistent-support-for-cannabis-legalization-in-the-us (accessed Oct 15, 2024).