Vice President Kamala Harris made the news about her supporting the need for rescheduling. Marijuana stocks jumped while the industry holds its breath. Harris was speaking at a meeting at the White House with people who received pardons from marijuana-related offices from the President. Joseph Cartagena aka the Rapper Fat Joe and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) were among the crowd. But has Kamala Harris changed her stance on Marijuana or is this another campaign promise which will take years to follow through.
As a San Francisco prosecutor, Harris oversaw more than 1,900 cannabis related convictions, higher than her predecessors. When it was a key issue about the state voting for legal marijuana, Harris opted out of the discussion. It wasn’t until 2020 with the presidential campaign she appeared to change her mind and followed Biden’s lead in promising the cannabis industry a friend in power. But it would be 3.5 years before any real action took place.
In 2020, the cannabis economy was just gaining major steam, but now with federal resistance, chaos in New York and California and flower price compression, it is critical something change. Marijuana isa Schedule 1 drug as ruled by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The classification designates the plant as similar to heroin, LSD. It is seen as a dangerous drug with no medicinal uses. Science, the medical community and cannabis advocates have campaigning for the federal government to either reschedule marijuana to a different category or deschedule it entirely since it has proven medical benefits. Alcohol is considered a drug but is not scheduled.
President Joe Biden, running for re-election, has again brought marijuana into the picture, even mentioning it in his State of the Union address. But he said he would work with the industry in 2020, took office in 2021 and finally, tentatively suggested a change in 2023. Harris hasn’t been given a public role in the conversation until the meeting.
The Biden/Harris campaign has sought to appeal to young voters which it needs. But some of whom are dissatisfied with his sluggish policy reforms. Going into election day with more talk and no real action could be a dangerous path for election.
Terry Hacienda
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