UPDATE: The Breakfast Club has pushed back on the initial headline and lead paragraph of Breitbart News’ report on this interview, saying that Harris did not claim to have listened to 2Pac and Snoop while getting high in college. This interpretation of the exchange, which was shared by non-political music publishers, arose from DJ Envy and Charlamagne tha God asking two separate questions in quick succession and Harris not clarifying which question she was responding to. This article has been updated to allow for that ambiguity. However, Sen. Harris has not responded to questions from Breitbart News to deny another possible interpretation — that she is saying she smoked marijuana after starting her career in law enforcement.
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) presented herself as a relatable, hip, non-narc Monday in an interview where she told famous hip-hop DJs that she smoked marijuana in college and is a fan of critically acclaimed rap artists, both modern and vintage.
On Power 105.1’s Breakfast Club show, co-host Charlamagne tha God asked Harris whether she had ever indulged in the drug. “I did inhale,” Harris responded, before bursting into laughter. “It was a long time ago, but yes. I just broke news!”
“Listen, I think [it] gives a lot of people joy,” the former California attorney general added. “And we need more joy.”
Later, the hosts asked Harris about what kind of music she likes. DJ Envy asked, “What does Kamala Harris listen to?” Charlamagne quickly added, “What were you listening to when you was high? What was on? What song was–” Envy appeared to build on Charlamagne’s question, saying, “Was it Snoop?”
“Oh yeah, it was definitely Snoop. Uh-huh. Definitely. Tupac for sure,” she replied.
Harris graduated from Howard University in 1986 and obtained her law degree from University of California, Hastings College of the Law in 1989. Tupac’s first album — 2Pacalypse Now — was released in 1991, while Snoop Dogg’s first album —Doggystyle — came out in 1993.
“As with her former position on legalization, she’s scamming,” Reason editor-at-large Nick Gillespie said of Harris’s claim.
At the time of those records’ release, Harris was working in the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, where she served from 1990 to 1998.
During the interview, Harris also voiced her support for legalizing marijuana — with a few caveats.
“Let me make this statement very clear: I believe we need to legalize marijuana,” she said. “Now that being said, and this is not a ‘but,’ this is an ‘and’ — and we need to research, which is one of the reasons we need to legalize it, we need to move it on the schedule so we can research the impact of weed on a developing brain. You know, that part of the brain that develops judgment actually begins its growth at age 18 through 24.”
Harris supports legislation introduced by fellow presidential candidate Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) that would de-schedule marijuana and expunge federal marijuana arrest records. “Making marijuana legal at the federal level is the smart thing to do and it’s the right thing to do. Today, I’m announcing my support for @CoryBooker’s Marijuana Justice Act,” Harris tweeted last May.
The senator faces strong opposition from the social justice/socialist left, who have rallied behind the slogan “Kamala Harris is a cop,” citing her past prosecutorial work and campaigns touting a tough law-and-order record. This pivot to a cuddly, rap-aficionado image is likely a response to that particular line of attack in order to survive a crowded primary in the era of “Abolish ICE” wokeness.
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