Legalizing marijuana nationally is generally popular with Americans: 57% of people say marijuana should be legal for both medical and recreational purposes, while 32% say it should only be legal for medical use, according to a January Pew survey. Only 11% of Americans said it shouldn’t be legal at all. It’s an issue that presidents have largely ignored, but Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have spoken about the issue during the 2024 campaign.
Here are the views they have expressed so far on marijuana legalization.
Trump on legalizing marijuana
Trump has not said he would support legalizing recreational marijuana nationally. During his 2016 campaign, Trump suggested he was in favor of leaving the issue alone the states. In October 2015, Trump said that marijuana legalization “should be a state issue, state by state.” As president, Trump’s administration continued to enforce the federal ban on marijuana use.
As part of his 2021 budget, Trump proposed ending a federal policy that protects state medical marijuana programs from Justice Department intervention.
Trump has said he would vote to legalize recreational marijuana in Florida
Trump said in September that he would vote for a ballot measure in Florida to legalize recreational marijuana use. Other Republicans, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, oppose the measure. The amendment would legalize the recreational use of marijuana for people 21 and older, allowing people to have a maximum of about three ounces at a time.
“As I have previously stated, I believe it is time to end the unnecessary arrests and incarcerations of adults for small amounts of marijuana for personal use,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. “As a Floridian, I will vote YES on Amendment 3 this November.”
Former first lady Melania Trump has said she and the former president plan to vote in Florida on Election Day.
Trump has said he wants to continue research into the medical use of marijuana
Trump has also said he wants to continue research to “unblock the medical use of marijuana to a Schedule III drug,” even though the Drug Enforcement Agency announced earlier this year under President Biden that it would move marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug. drug under the Controlled Substances Act, which means fewer restrictions. Schedule I drugs are considered to have no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Other Schedule I drugs include heroin and LSD.
Schedule III drugs, which include drugs used to suppress pain or appetite, have a lower risk of abuse, but their use can lead to psychological dependence. This category includes, for example, ketamine, lower doses of opioid analgesics and anabolic steroids.
“As President, we will continue to focus on research to unlock the medical use of marijuana as a Schedule III drug, and work with Congress to pass common sense laws including secure banking for state-authorized businesses, and supporting the right of states to pass marijuana laws. , like in Florida, that work so well for their citizens,” Trump wrote on Truth Social in September.
What is Kamala Harris’ position on marijuana legalization?
Harris has not made legalizing marijuana a central issue of her campaign, but she has said the drug should no longer be criminalized. Harris said she believes “people absolutely should not go to jail for smoking weed.”
“I just think we’re at a point where we need to understand that we need to legalize it and stop criminalizing this behavior,” Harris said during an interview on the sports and culture podcast “All the Smoke.”
Harris prosecuted marijuana cases as a prosecutor
But after she was elected San Francisco district attorney in 2002, Harris prosecuted marijuana crimes when the drug was still illegal in the Golden State. And her prosecution of marijuana crimes, including her prosecution of men of color, has been critical among some voters.
As attorney general of California, an office to which she was elected in 2010, Harris opposed the sale of marijuana for recreational use.
Marijuana was only legalized for recreational use in California in 2016.
Harris’ views on marijuana as a U.S. senator
As a U.S. senator who could shape the law rather than a prosecutor who had to follow existing laws, her approach to marijuana began to change.
In 2015, when she was running for the U.S. Senate, she told the San Francisco Chronicle that she had “no moral objection” to legalizing the recreational use of marijuana.
And in 2019, as she ran for president, Harris introduced legislation to legalize marijuana and ban nonviolent pot crimes.
