Kamala says Americans shouldn't be jailed for weed—she convicted 1,956 Californians as San Francisco DA

Kamala Harris has once again stated that she does not believe Americans should be sent to jail for simply smoking marijuana, a position that could not be further from that which she held while serving as San Francisco district attorney.

Throughout her time prosecuting in the Bay Area, Harris oversaw 1956 cannabis-related convictions, according to Mercury News.



During a roundtable conversation for Second Chance Month on Thursday, Harris outlined the steps the Biden administration has taken to expand access to small business loans and Pell grants to those with criminal convictions.

"Many Americans who have served their time still face obstacles to their success, and one way for us to remove some of those other obstacles is to issue pardons and commutations," she said, touting the federal government's record on both those fronts, especially when it comes to those with marijuana-related criminal histories.

"We have pardoned all people for federal convictions for simple marijuana possession," she stated, adding, "I just don't think people should have to go to jail for smoking weed, and these pardons have been issued as an extension of that approach."

Before turning things over to featured guest Kim Kardashian, Harris said the United States needed to be "smarter" on the issue of redemption.

Five days earlier, Harris celebrated 4/20 with a post on X declaring that "we must change our nation's approach to marijuana while reforming the justice system so it finally lives up to its name." Many were quick to highlight her hypocrisy.

"Kamala posting this like she didn't build her entire career off of jailing people for this very thing," Frontlines contributor Savanah Hernandez wrote.

"You sent them there," another added.

As Forbes reports, the Drug Enforcement Agency is believed to be considering changing the classification of marijuana from a Schedule I controlled substance to Schedule III, though it is unclear when a decision will be made.