Joe Biden’s VP pick Kamala Harris continues to make waves concerning her complicated history with cannabis. Both Republicans and some Democrats fault the senator from California, accusing her of lying about former pot use (Republicans) and not being liberal enough on marijuana legalization (progressive Democrats).
The reality is that Harris’ position on pot has steadily shifted, from prosecuting marijuana possession as California attorney general to advocating for cannabis reform and legalization as senator. Digging into the details, however, reveals that while Harris pursued possession cases very few people were ever incarcerated for low-level offenses. And although she now supports reform, progressives fault her for adopting Biden’s sensible, go-slow approach and backing away from full legalization.
The Rosenthal Center fully supports the Biden position, which calls for decriminalizing marijuana, legalizing medical marijuana, and allowing states to decide on recreational use—a policy guided by available scientific research.
And finally, a new study finds that individuals with a history of depression are more than twice as likely than their peers to report using cannabis every day or nearly every day. The survey of more than 16,000 U.S. adults also shows a growing association between depression and frequent cannabis use. It adds that recent portrayals of pot in the media suggest—without evidence—that marijuana could help with depressive disorders, which might be driving the recent trends.