Kamala Harris now supports nationwide legalization of recreational marijuana use – a strategic move to gain more votes

 Vice President Kamala Harris said she does not use marijuana-infused "gummies" to manage the stress of her presidential campaign against former President Donald Trump.

During a town hall in Royal Oak, Michigan on Oct. 21, the vice president was asked about stress management by former First Lady of California Maria Shriver, the event moderator.

"Everybody I talk to says 'I have to turn off the news, I can't read anything, I'm meditating, I'm doing yoga, I'm so anxious I just don't even know, I'm eating gummies,' all kinds of things," Shriver said. "What are you doing?"

"I'm not eating gummies," Harris responded with a cackle. But Harris now supports the nationwide legalization of recreational marijuana use. A week prior, she publicly supported the move toward legalizing the drug across the country in the hopes the move would appeal to young Black male voters.

The government of Harris and President Joe Biden has moved to lift some federal restrictions on cannabis.

In the lead-up to the 2020 election, Harris confessed to radio host Charlamagne tha God that she had smoked marijuana in college, triggering accusations of hypocrisy, given her stance on illegal drug use while serving as a prosecutor.

Now, the vice president has stressed that her support for reforms to marijuana legislation is rooted in a criminal justice-centered interest to right the wrongs of criminalization.

The Harris campaign has also accused Trump of lying about his support for marijuana reform, saying that his "blatant pandering" runs counter to his administration's record on cannabis. This came after Trump endorsed a Florida cannabis legalization ballot initiative.

Harris' vow to legalize cannabis is "just a political move"

Harris' promise to fully legalize adult recreational cannabis on the federal level is the first time a presidential nominee has taken such an unambiguous stance on ending cannabis prohibition, the Guardianreported.

Vince Sliwoski, a partner at the law firm Harris and Sliwoski, which specializes in cannabis law, said he was happy to see it. "I like the messaging," Sliwoski said. "But she can't just snap her fingers and do it when she gets into office. It's not something that can be done via executive orders."

Griffen Thorne, a lawyer specializing in cannabis law, thinks that Harris' vow was "clearly political"especially since her announcement came just a few weeks before the election.

Experts told the news outlet that they suspect Harris' campaign is attempting to shore up numbers with Black voters, particularly Black men, who are currently less likely to support Harris than they were Biden, as per a New York Times poll. 

"Federal marijuana legalization is a sound policy and supporting it is a smart strategy – not just with Black voters, but with Americans across the board," said Cat Packer, director of drug markets and legal regulation with the drug policy nonprofit group Drug Policy Action.

Packer added that it makes sense for Harris' plan to include provisions that will remove barriers for Black men in cannabis and other domains.

During his administration, President Joe Biden made a number of promises on cannabis, including to expunge criminal records for possession convictions and get cannabis rescheduled so that it is eligible for Food and Drug Administration approval. The Drug Enforcement Administration has made progress on rescheduling, but it won't go through before the election.

Also, Biden only expunged a small fraction of cannabis-related convictions during his administration.