Pubdate: Thu, 19 Feb 2015
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)
Copyright: 2015 Hearst Communications Inc.
Contact: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/submissions/#1
Website: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/388
Author: Carla Marinucci

HARRIS NOT OPPOSED TO MAKING POT LEGAL

California Attorney General Kamala Harris, the state's top cop and 
Democratic front-runner in the race for a U.S. Senate seat next year, 
said Thursday she has "no moral objection" to legalizing the 
recreational use of marijuana, but cautioned that special care will 
be required to assess the impacts on children and public safety.

"It's easy to stand up and make a grand gesture, but we really do 
have to work out the details," said Harris, who told The Chronicle on 
Wednesday that she believes "it is an inevitability" that 
recreational use of marijuana will be legalized in the state.

"But to be very clear, it's not a passive position," Harris said, 
adding that as the state's senior law enforcement official, she has 
already been studying the impacts in Colorado and Washington state, 
where recreational use is legal. It becomes legal in Oregon later this year.

"I'm actually in constant communication with Washington and Oregon to 
watch what they are doing and to explore all of the options, to make 
sure we do this in a way that takes advantage of learning from their 
mistakes," she said.

California will need to "figure out the important issues" related to 
legalization, especially "as it relates to children, as it relates to 
schools and advertising and the quantities ... and issues like safe 
driving and enforcement of our rules around that," as well as about 
the impacts of edible marijuana, she said. "That's where I'm focused, 
on all the details of that."

Her personal views on the drug: "I don't have any moral opposition to 
legalization," she said.

"But I do feel a very strong sense of responsibility as a top cop to 
pay attention to the details ... to make sure that if it were 
legalized ... that vulnerable people are safe," she said.

Harris' statements were her first to address a potential campaign 
issue since declaring herself a candidate to fill the seat of Sen. 
Barbara Boxer, who announced last month that she would not run for 
re-election. The California attorney general has been criticized 
lately for brushing off questions about the race to replace Boxer.

Last week, at an event at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, an 
aide physically tried to block a Chronicle reporter from asking 
questions, but Harris intervened and promised to speak soon to 
reporters about her campaign.

The interview came on the same day that the Field Poll released a new 
survey showing she is the first choice among Democrats to replace 
Boxer, though Republican Condoleezza Rice was the top choice of 
Californians of both parties.

Democratic former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is widely 
expected to enter the race soon. Others whose names have been 
mentioned as possible competitors include U.S. Reps. Loretta Sanchez 
of Santa Ana, John Garamendi of Walnut Grove (Sacramento County) and 
Jackie Speier of Hillsborough.

Rep. Rocky Chavez, a Southern California Republican, this week 
indicated he may also be interested in running.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom