Harris Backs Federal Rescheduling of Marijuana

Should she be elected to the U.S. Senate this November, California Attorney General Kamala Harris would advocate for the federal government to change how it classifies marijuana as a controlled substance.

In an editorial board interview with the Bay Area Reporter, Harris said she does not believe marijuana should be designated as a Schedule I drug, along with such illicit substances as heroin, LSD, the party drug ecstasy, and peyote.

Such substances are considered "the most dangerous" and have "no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse," according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Having marijuana classified in such a way hinders federally funded research into its medicinal uses. It also allows federal authorities to crack down on dispensaries and growers in states that have legalized marijuana for either medical purposes or recreational use.

"As a U.S. senator, an area of focus for me would be to remove marijuana from Schedule I and put it in Schedule II," said Harris.

Schedule II drugs include cocaine, methamphetamine, methadone, Ritalin, Adderall, and oxycodone. The DEA considers such drugs "dangerous" and having "a high potential for abuse, with use potentially leading to severe psychological or physical dependence."

Harris' position on the federal reclassification of marijuana is a continuation of her softening stance on the legalization of the drug. In late November 2014, shortly after being re-elected as AG, she told BuzzFeed News that she is "not opposed to the legalization of marijuana."

It was a stark turnaround from her position in 2010, during her first campaign to be elected AG, when Harris told the B.A.R. , "While I support the legal use of medical marijuana, and personally know people who have benefited from its use, I do not support the legalization of marijuana beyond that."

At last year's California Democratic Convention, Harris said, "Now is the time to end the federal ban on medical marijuana." Her comment came three months after she told the San Francisco Chronicle that legalizing recreational marijuana use was "an inevitability" in California.

With Golden State voters likely to be asked this November to pass a ballot measure that would do just that, Harris reiterated that comment during her April 13 interview with the B.A.R.

"Generally, I am supportive of it," said Harris, formerly San Francisco's district attorney. "It is inevitable it is going to happen."

But she continues to have concerns, "as the top law enforcement officer of the state," on how legalization would be implemented. In particular, Harris pointed to "the lack of technical knowhow we currently have to measure impairment for purposes of driving."

Harris is running to succeed Senator Barbara Boxer (D-California), who opted not to seek re-election this year. Polling shows Harris to be the leading candidate headed into the June primary, where the top two vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, will advance to the November election.

A Field Poll released in early April had Harris in first place with 27 percent of likely voters, and Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (D-Orange) was in second with 14 percent.

Sanchez has long supported the use of, and research on, medical marijuana for patients with terminal and chronic illnesses, according to a news release her office issued last month. It also stated that she has "consistently voted in favor of legislation to halt raids on marijuana dispensaries and ensure that federal law enforcement respects a state's right to legalize use and conduct research on medical marijuana."

The three leading Republican candidates all had single digit support: businessman Ron Unz (5 percent), and former state Republican Party chairs Tom Del Beccaro (4 percent) and Duf Sundheim (2 percent). The poll also found that 48 percent of likely voters "remain undecided or do not choose any of the five" leading candidates.

The poll of 633 Californians considered likely to vote in the June statewide primary election was conducted March 24 through April 3 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.