Vice President Kamala Harris will hold the administration’s first public event on marijuana reform this week after President Joe Biden addressed the issue as one of his priorities in last week’s State of the Union address.
Harris will convene a roundtable discussion in the West Wing, featuring Grammy-nominated artist Fat Joe, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and individuals who received pardons for prior cannabis convictions.
Harris’ main portfolio includes reproductive health care, gun violence and voting rights, but she has consistently amplified criminal justice reform since her years as a district attorney in California.
In his State of the Union Thursday, Biden said that he had directed his “cabinet to review the federal classification of marijuana,” adding that he is also “expunging thousands of convictions for the mere possession, because no one should be jailed for simply using.”
Biden’s comments were notable, marking the first time he spoke about the effort to reschedule marijuana since he directed agencies in October 2022 to examine its classification within the Drug Enforcement Agency. It was also the first time Biden mentioned the drug during a speech as critical as an election-year State of the Union.
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