In June, Jimmy Kimmel hilariously broke the news to Vice President Kamala Harris that there’s now a cannabis strain named after her: Kamala Kush.
The ironic moniker represents a stark departure from where Harris began her career in terms of support (or lack thereof) for marijuana legalization. But now, Harris shows she could be open to reform on the issue.
In March of this year, she suggested support for reclassifying cannabis at the federal level during a widely publicized White House meeting. Attendants of the gathering for criminal justice reform included various lawmakers, individuals pardoned by the Biden administration, and even rapper Fat Joe made an appearance.During this gathering, Harris acknowledged that marijuana criminalization may disproportionately affect communities of color:
“What we need to do is recognize that far too many people have been sent to jail for simple marijuana possession, and the impact is such that, in particular, black Americans and Latinos are four times more likely, four times more likely, to be arrested for marijuana possession, and the disparity is even larger when you talk about a subset of black men and Latino men. So this is an issue that must be addressed.”
In June, the Vice President was a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live, where she shockingly said that “nobody should have to go to jail for smoking weed!”
The comedian then informed Harris there’s actually a new cannabis strain named after her, Kamala Kush.
Harris acted genuinely surprised and a little delighted, explaining she had no idea it existed. Kimmel then laughed in response, “They didn’t even send you any!”
Harris replied, “I’m not touching that,” which is consistent with her record.
She then went on to explain in the interview that under the Biden administration, many pardons were issued to nonviolent marijuana offenders. Harris also hopes that government resources would be spent combating the opioid and fentanyl epidemics, with clear plans to address these. She also indicated she supports mental health initiatives.
Although Harris is nominally on board with decriminalizing marijuana today, at the beginning of her career, she operated more on the other end of that axis. Her M.O. of diligently prosecuting marijuana offenders in her years as San Francisco District Attorney earned her the nicknames ‘Copala’ and ‘Kamala the Cop’. In fact, Harris’ office prosecuted over 1,900 marijuana offenses in total, a number that surpassed her predecessor, tolerating cannabis use for strictly medicinal purposes only.
When running for Attorney General in 2010, Harris reaffirmed her stance, opposing legalization of recreational marijuana use statewide. She won that election and became the California A.G. in 2011. Upon re-election, she held firm on her opposition to recreational legalization yet again.
Things appeared to shift in 2015, however, right before Harris became a U.S. senator, when she publicly called to end the federal ban on medicinal marijuana.
As a senator, Harris then co-sponsored various bills in support of marijuana justice reform, including the SAFE Banking Act, the MORE Act, and the Marijuana Justice Act.
And during Harris’ presidential bid in 2019, she admitted that she had indeed smoked weed before. In a radio interview, she jokingly referencing Bill Clinton’s infamous gaffe on the question by saying, “I did inhale.”
Various writers and talking heads have since speculated as to why Harris’ stance on cannabis legalization has changed since her early days as a San Francisco DA. Many people wonder if Kamala Harris is a flip-flopper, but in this case, it seems to appear she experienced an evolution of thought rather than a complete reversal of principles.
Regardless of the reasons behind her shift on the issue, Kamala Harris currently presents herself as a potential ally to nationwide legal cannabis if elected President this November.
