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Kamala Harris makes casual weed comment in election stress conversation

The vice-president is not using marijuana edibles to cope with campaign stress, she said to laughter

Michelle Del Rey
Wednesday 23 October 2024 23:47 BST
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Kamala Harris makes casual weed comment in election stress conversation

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Vice President Kamala Harris made a reference to marijuana edibles while speaking with former California First Lady Maria Shriver at a town hall event in Michigan.

Shriver told Harris about anxiety levels rising around the country as the November election draws closer.

“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 kind of things,” she said, asking Harris: “What are you doing?”

“Not eating gummies,” Harris responded, garnering laughter and applause from the audience.

Shriver replied: “Ok, we got that clear.”

Federal employees are typically not allowed to ingest marijuana. Harris announced last week however that she would support federal legislation legalizing marijuana nationally. Michigan is one of a dozen states that have legalized the use of recreational marijuana.

Sitting next to Liz Cheney, a former Republican congresswoman who is now supporting the Democratic ticket, Harris said she wakes up in the middle of the night but tries to bring her anxiety levels down by working out and talking to her family.

“In a democracy ... the people, every individual, has the power to make a decision about what this will be,” she said. “So let’s not feel powerless,” Harris said.

“We rise to a moment and we stand on broad shoulders of people who have fought this fight before for our country. Let us look at the challenge then that we are being presented and not be overwhelmed by it. The baton is now in our hands to fight for not against.”

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