VP Harris says 'nobody' should go to jail for marijuana use despite overseeing pot convictions as DA

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Vice President Kamala Harris said on Saturday that "nobody should have to go to jail for smoking weed," despite the fact that she oversaw nearly 2,000 convictions for pot-related offenses.

While speaking in Austin, Texas, over the weekend, Harris touched on President Biden’s pardon of individuals with federal charges of simple possession of marijuana.

"We are also changing, y’all might have heard that this week, the federal government’s approach to marijuana," Harris said on Saturday.

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Vice President Kamala Harris said on Saturday "nobody should have to go to jail for smoking weed" but she put over 2,000 people in prison for pot-related offenses. (Leigh Vogel/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"Because the bottom line there is: Nobody should have to go to jail for smoking weed," the vice president continued.

Harris oversaw the convictions of nearly 2,000 people for marijuana offenses as San Francisco district attorney, Bay Area News Group reported in 2020. 

While running for state attorney general in 2010, Harris opposed a state-wide ballot measure to green light marijuana use, calling the initiative "flawed public policy."

Harris put 1,974 people in prison for marijuana-related offenses while California's attorney general. (Reuters/Ben Nelms)

Harris also admitted to smoking weed in college during a radio interview while running for president and ticked off her father, the Jamaican-born Donald Harris, when she invoked her heritage while saying she would support pot legalization.

"Half my family’s from Jamaica," Harris said. "Are you kidding me?"

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Harris’ father said their family "must be turning in their grave right now to see their family’s name, reputation and proud Jamaican identity" associated with the "fraudulent stereotype of a pot-smoking joy seeker."

The vice president’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.