Though Harris' history on cannabis is mixed, she has come out strongly in support of legalization in ... [+]
Vice President Kamala Harris and her new running mate Governor Tim Walz just became the first major party ticket to support federal legalization of cannabis.
While Harris has a complicated history with cannabis policy, she has come out in full support of legalization in recent years, sharing that “the War on Drugs was an abject failure. It's time to legalize marijuana and bring justice to people of color harmed by failed drug policies.”
Harris has also used her position in the Senate and Oval Office to push pro-cannabis legislation.
Now, Walz completes the pro-cannabis ticket with a strong history of supporting cannabis reform, including signing the bill to make adult-use cannabis legal in Minnesota.
Former Governor Jesse Ventura was on hand as Gov. Tim Walz legalized recreational marijuana in ... [+]
This pro-cannabis viewpoint could work in their favor, given that the majority of voters support legalizing marijuana nationwide. According to a recent Fox news poll, 69% of voters support adult-use legalization, while only 30% oppose. Meanwhile, a Pew Research Poll found that 88% of voters support either medical or recreational legalization (with 57% supporting recreational legalization) while only 11% oppose.
Gov. Tim Walz is already gaining praise from cannabis advocates as a consistent champion of cannabis reform.
“The Harris/Walz ticket is undeniably the single most progressive ticket in U.S. history when it comes to drug policy reform,” explains Leili Fatehi, partner and principal at Blunt Strategies, an expert cannabis political strategist who helped with the legalization process in Minnesota.
David Culver, SVP of Public Affairs for the U.S. Cannabis Council shared that “Kamala Harris’ selection of Governor Tim Walz as her running mate is a historic milestone for cannabis reform. For the first time, there will be a pro-legalization major party ticket.” Culver added that “the U.S. Cannabis Council is confident that a Harris administration would continue to build on the recent progress made by the Biden administration toward ending federal cannabis prohibition and addressing the societal impacts of the drug war.”
And Walz’s record shows exactly why cannabis advocates are so excited by Harris’ pick for running mate. In 2023, Walz signed a bill into law that created a legal cannabis market in Minnesota, made cannabis use for adults legal and expunged low-level cannabis convictions.
“What we know right now is prohibition does not work,” he explained at his signing in ceremony. “We’ve criminalized a lot of folks who are going to start the expungement process on those records.”
Walz also made clear that equity was an important consideration in the process of legalization, supporting measures to strengthen social equity provisions. He explained that “too often marginalized communities are left to the side. They're left back."
ST. PAUL, MN. - MAY 2023: Former Governor Jesse Ventura spoke at the bill signing event after Gov. ... [+]
But Walz’s record goes beyond legalizing marijuana in Minnesota. He has consistently backed cannabis reform in Congress, sponsoring a bill to increase medical marijuana research for veterans. This became the first cannabis-reform measure to make it through a congressional committee. It passed through the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee while Walz, also a veteran, was a ranking member.
Walz also co-sponsored bills for regulating hemp and legalizing CBD. And he has consistently voted in favor of amendments to protect state-run cannabis and hemp programs.
“Governor Walz's impressive track record—from legalizing adult-use cannabis and expunging non-violent cannabis convictions in Minnesota to pioneering harm reduction strategies and promoting research into psychedelics and medical cannabis for veterans—cements this ticket as a potentially groundbreaking force,” explains Fatehi.
