Vice President Harris boards Air Force Two at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas on Sept. 30, 2024.

Ronda Churchill/AFP

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Ronda Churchill/AFP

Vice President Harris says she thinks marijuana should be legalized, going a step further than the Biden administration has in its marijuana reforms.

“I just think we have come to a point where we have to understand that we need to legalize it and stop criminalizing this behavior,” Harris said in her first public comments on the issue since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee.

Harris made her comments as part of a 45-minute conversation with former NBA stars Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes for their podcast All the Smoke.

Harris said she feels strongly that people “should not be going to jail for smoking weed.”

President Biden has stopped short of calling for legalization, although earlier this year, his administration began a process to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug.

Harris spoke about her racial identity

Harris was asked about what she does to take care of her mental health. She said her number one rule for protecting her own mental space is, “Don’t read the comments.” And she said it’s important to find hobbies to help relieve stress, which for her is cooking.

Harris talked with the hosts about race in the context of allegations made in July by former President Donald Trump, who falsely accused Harris of shifting her racial identity over the years.

“I’m really clear about who I am and if anyone else is not, they need to go through their own level of therapy – that’s not my issue,” Harris said.

Harris said she feels “a great sense of responsibility” when it comes breaking barriers in her job, and what it would mean to potentially become the first Black woman to hold the highest office in the land.

“You got to leave that door open more than it was when you walked in,” she said. “That’s what it means to me. I feel a great sense of responsibility.”