On October 24, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-Lakewood) joined a virtual rally advocating for national cannabis reform hosted by country singer Willie Nelson. Nelson organized the event in tandem with Vicente, a Colorado-based cannabis law firm, around the issue of cannabis legalization. Referred to as the Cannabis Community for Kamala, the event was moderated by Nelson, his wife Annie D’Angelo, and lawyer Dahr Jamail.
The rally highlighted Vice President Kamala Harris’s now vocal support of cannabis legalization. The rally began with Willie and Annie expressing their support for the legalization of marijuana and President Harris, who recently publicly reaffirmed her support for federal legalization, making her the first major-party presidential candidate to fully endorse cannabis legalization.
The Nelsons then introduced the roster of guests, featuring instrumental officials who have worked on marijuana legalization like Polis, House Representatives Earl Blumenaur (D-Portland), Barbara Lee (D-Oakland), and Pettersen. Other guests included celebrities like Whoopi Goldberg, Margo Price, Brittany Spencer, and former NFL running back Ricky Williams.
Setting the tone for the rally, D’Angelo framed the issue as a matter of principle. “Everyone here that’s part of our little gathering understands that cannabis is a path to healing, opportunity, and especially justice,” she said.
Nelson added: “The thing about our vice president is that she gets all of that. Kamala Harris understands that it’s crucial to, not only stop putting people in jail for cannabis but also undo the harm caused by decades of disproportionately enforcing the prohibition against communities of color.”
Polis was among the first to speak: “Colorado was one of the first states to legalize marijuana for recreational use. We had medical marijuana even before that. But everybody in our state who used medical marijuana, who wanted to do recreational marijuana, and anybody who was innovative enough to try and start a business or dispensary all faced and continued to face a federal risk of prosecution. And that’s not right. We need to respect the states that have moved forward, we’re at almost 40 states now that have some form of legal cannabis… and yet it is still federally against the law.”
Polis has long advocated for federal marijuana legalization, co-founding the Congressional Cannabis Caucus across party lines to streamline cannabis reform. As governor, Polis has continued to push for state reforms to boost local cannabis businesses and has issued pardons for those with state-level marijuana convictions.
Polis welcomed the vice president’s position on ending cannabis prohibition. “Kamala Harris is the first major party candidate to support leaving it up to states. This is part of her personal freedom agenda, whether it’s the right to control our own bodies, whether it’s to marry who you love, whether it’s how you recreate on weekends, whether it’s with beer or with a joint. Kamala Harris supports our freedom as Americans and we need a president who will do that,” he said.
Other speakers, like Blumenaur and Lee, also spoke on the historical significance of having a presidential candidate support marijuana legalization, as did Pettersen.
“We all know that Kamala Harris is a champion for effective drug policies, and I want to applaud the Biden-Harris administration for having the courage and leadership to recommend the rescheduling of marijuana at the federal,” Pettersen said. “It’s such a big deal to have a presidential candidate that has come out to say that she supports legalizing marijuana. That has never happened in the past. Right now, marijuana is unfortunately at the highest possible level. Schedule I drugs are defined by a high propensity for drug abuse and for having no medical benefit, this is not relevant for marijuana. It is scheduled at the same level as heroin.”
CTR spoke with Shawn Hauser, a partner at Vincente who helped co-organize the event. Hauser elaborated on how federal cannabis prohibition impacts communities across the country. “By design, marijuana criminalization impacts minority communities and has turned into a new Jim Crow. People of color are almost four times more likely to be arrested for a crime relating to marijuana possession, even though statistically consumption is roughly the same among [white people],” said Hauser. “The drug war, which dates back to the Nixon era, has disproportionately devastated communities of color and caused decades of harm.”
The federal ban still impacts states where recreational marijuana is legalized Hauser explained: “Until there is federal legalization, an illicit market will remain. Not only does that come with inherent dangers to public health, it hampers businesses in places where it is legal and causes confusion for consumers and regulators.”
Hauser co-chairs Vicente’s Hemp and Cannabinoids Department and Federal and International Law Group. In Colorado, Hauser worked extensively with Vicente to help pass Amendment 64, which legalized recreational marijuana, and she continues to work on policy with state and local governments in Colorado and Texas.
Hauser added she believed that having high-profile support for cannabis reform would spur further action at a federal level. “It can be a game-changer for legalization efforts, we have never had a presidential candidate prioritize and support cannabis legalization,” said Hauser. “With the Biden-Harris, they did the work to expedite the process of rescheduling marijuana from Schedule I. [As president] she could work expeditiously with Congress on legalizing cannabis and regulation.”
Nelson and Annie ended by urging listeners to vote for Harris. “It’s hard to face to express how strongly we feel about getting Kamala Harris into the White House. This is our opportunity to truly end prohibition, create opportunity, and deliver justice.”
