Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday called on the federal government to move “as quickly as possible” to change the way it officially classifies marijuana, saying that “nobody should have to go to jail for smoking weed.”

“I cannot emphasize enough that they need to get to it as quickly as possible,” Harris said. “We need to have a resolution based on their findings and their assessment. This issue is stark when one considers the fact that on the schedule currently, marijuana is considered as dangerous as heroin ― as dangerous as heroin ― and more dangerous than fentanyl, which is absurd, not to mention patently unfair.”

Marijuana is currently listed as a Schedule 1 drug by the Drug Enforcement Administration. That classification designates it one of the most dangerous drugs possible, with no medicinal uses. Other substances in the same category include heroin, ecstasy and LSD. Marijuana advocates have been pushing for years for the federal government to either reschedule marijuana to a different category or deschedule it entirely.

    • Simon@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      8 months ago

      Not sure why the downvotes but it’s true. I don’t have case specifics - just google around a bit.

      • PorkSoda@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        In what capacity did she put people in jail in Washington state? Let’s follow this thing through to the end.

          • PorkSoda@lemmy.world
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            8 months ago

            Right? Like it’s my job to research his claim that he’s “pretty sure” about.

        • Simon@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          8 months ago

          Wrong state. Close enough though, like it fucking matters and is totally irrelevant. If you want to be a contrarian I promise you you’re going to find a fight wherever you look. Don’t get so bent out of shape over a factoid because at the end of the day you’re creating the arguments you’re having here.

          • PorkSoda@lemmy.world
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            8 months ago

            No because he’s just parroting a talking point that he’s heard here without even being accurate.

            He could at least acknowledge that her position has changed and we’re close to progress.

            • John Richard@lemmy.world
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              8 months ago

              Her positioned has changed? If you want a politician that is true to their beliefs then you elect someone like Bernie. If you’re okay with someone that will revert course again when they want to fill their pockets with more private-prison money, but at least they’re not Trump, then you go with Biden/Kamala.

              • PorkSoda@lemmy.world
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                8 months ago

                Or, and hear me out on this, her position truly changed.

                I used to think billionaires were cool. Now I think they’re detrimental to society and represent a lot of what’s wrong with wealth inequality in this country. People learn, opinions change - we should welcome that.

                • John Richard@lemmy.world
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                  8 months ago

                  Yes, we should welcome people’s opinions changing. 😄 So you’re saying that you’d trust and vote for Trump if he changed his opinions? C’mon, people’s opinions may change but that doesn’t mean that we should entrust them with our safety and security. I mean, do you really want past-pedos working at daycares cause they’ve changed their opinions? The justice system sucks, but I think you’ll find historically that people’s opinions/actions… especially when they send people to jail for marijuana, says a lot more about their long-term character than you think.