Harris and Walz push pro-cannabis agenda in new 2024 Democratic platform

On Monday, the Democratic National Convention formally adopted a 2024 party platform that highlights President Joe Biden’s efforts to address marijuana reform, including his historic cannabis pardons and steps to reschedule it. As Marijuana Moment reported, the platform also emphasizes the need for broader actions, such as expunging prior cannabis-related convictions. Despite these progressive steps, however, the new platform is significantly less expansive in its cannabis reform agenda than the 2020 version, which called for broader decriminalization.

Also Read: Governor Pritzker Greets Delegates and Attendees of Democratic National Convention With Billboard: ‘Illinois Democrats Have Legalized Marijuana’‘

Biden’s cannabis pardon and rescheduling moves highlighted

Now that Biden is withdrawing from the 2024 race, with Vice President Kamala Harris Now the Democratic nominee, the platform reflects a continuation of some of the president’s policies, even though Harris has publicly supported full federal legalization — a position Biden has not taken. The platform adopted Monday touts Biden’s pardons as part of his administration’s commitment to criminal justice reform, stating, “No one should be in prison just because they do drugs.”

The party also criticizes the former president Donald Trump for his administration’s past actions that threatened federal prosecution for marijuana cases, even in states where it was legal under state law. The platform contrasts the Biden-Harris approach with Trump’s record, with the aim of exploiting that difference in the upcoming election.

Despite these progressive reforms, the platform has been criticized for omitting broader decriminalization of cannabis and legalization of medical marijuana, both of which were key features of the 2020 platform. On the Republican side, Trump’s platform does not specifically focus on marijuana, but emphasizes a hardline stance on drug cartels and an anti-drug agenda.

Harris and Walz: The New Democratic Ticket’s Position on Legalization

While Harris continues as the Democratic candidate, she has selected the Minnesota governor Tim Walz as her running mate, a move that further solidifies the party’s commitment to cannabis reform given Walz’s strong pro-legalization record. The selection, coupled with the platform’s focus on record-setting, positions the Biden-Harris campaign as a pro-reform ticket in contrast to Trump’s more conservative approach to cannabis policy.

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