California Senator Kamala Harris is one of the newest officials to call for the legalization of marijuana according to her new book, “The Truths We Hold: An American Journey.”
“Something else it’s past time we get done is dismantling the failed war on drugs—starting with legalizing marijuana,” said Harris in her book that was released this week.
“We need to legalize marijuana and regulate it,” Harris wrote in the book. “And we need to expunge nonviolent marijuana-related offenses from the records of millions of people who have been arrested and incarcerated so they can get on with their lives.”
According to California’s former state attorney general, due to the marijuana’s restrictive Schedule I status, not enough research has been done on its effects. She also believes officials need to “invest in a solution” to impaired driving issues. There are currently no available reliable breathalyzer-like device for cannabis.
Harris remarked, “We also need to stop treating drug addiction like a public safety crisis instead of what it is: a public health crisis.”
“When someone is suffering from addiction, their situation is made worse, not better, by involvement in the criminal justice system,” she added.
Harris is said to be considering a run for presidency in 2020.
