According to the US media Proceso, Vice President Kamala Harris stated on March 15th that "no one should be incarcerated for smoking marijuana," while also criticizing the current federal restrictions on marijuana as "absurd."
Prominent figures attending the event not only include Kamala Harris, but also rapper Fat Joe, who has long advocated for the legalization of marijuana, and those who have been pardoned by President Joe Biden for offenses related to possession of marijuana.
Harris broke his silence and firmly spoke out.
Treating marijuana as being equally dangerous as heroin, and even more dangerous than fentanyl, is absurd and, not to mention, blatantly unjust.
Currently, there is a growing expectation that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in the United States will modify the current classification of marijuana, considering it to be as addictive as LSD or heroin. In 2023, the Department of Health in the United States even recommended removing marijuana from the "Schedule I" category, which is reserved for substances deemed to have no medical use, and moving it to the lower-risk "Schedule III" category. While the final decision rests with the DEA, the specific timeline for this change is still uncertain.
The high risk classification of marijuana in the "schedule one" category has resulted in harsher penalties for those who use or sell marijuana, leading to a disproportionate incarceration rate among Hispanic and African American populations in the United States.
In the face of the upcoming reelection in November, Joe Biden is making efforts to attract the votes of young people, most of whom support the legalization of marijuana.
Despite this, the current marijuana policies in the United States vary widely. 24 states and the District of Columbia (Washington D.C.) have legalized marijuana for recreational use, and 38 out of 50 states allow for marijuana use for medical purposes. However, in some states and at the federal level, marijuana remains classified as an illegal substance.
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