Vice President Kamala Harris has been accused of hypocrisy after she condemned the conviction of Brittney Griner of Russia on cannabis-smuggling charges — even though Harris prosecuted thousands of similar marijuana possession cases in her previous career as a prosecutor.
Griner, 31, was sentenced Thursday to nine years in prison after admitting to importing vape cartridges containing cannabis oil into the country. The WNBA star said she was prescribed the oil to help relieve pain associated with her chronic injuries and accidentally packed it in her luggage.
The verdict was met with widespread condemnation from US diplomats and government officials, led by President Biden, who called the sentence “unacceptable” and demanded that Russia release “immediately” both Griner and the second American prisoner, Paul Whalen.
Harris released a separate statement on Twitter condemning Greener’s sentence.
Vice President Kamala Harris was called a hypocrite for condemning Brittney Griner’s cannabis conviction in Russia, despite overseeing thousands of marijuana possession cases as a prosecutor. AP Griner was found guilty of smuggling cannabis into Russia and was sentenced to nine years in prison. ZUMAPRESS.com
“With today’s sentence, Russia continues its wrongful detention of Brittney Greener. She must be released immediately,” Harris wrote. “@POTUS and I, and our entire administration, are working every day to reunite Britney, as well as Paul Whalen, with loved ones who miss each of them dearly.”
But many of Harris’ critics were quick to point out that while she was San Francisco’s district attorney and California’s attorney general, she oversaw thousands of marijuana-related prosecutions and was an outspoken critic of marijuana legalization, as the Daily Mail first reported.
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“Brittney Greener got 9 years for drug possession in Russia…which sounds like most of the criminal sentences Kamala Harris got people for doing the same thing when she was CA Attorney General,” tweeted author Tim Young.
Another commenter wrote: “LMAO didn’t you shut down like… a lot of people for weed? Then he bragged about it and went on to say he smoked weed in college listening to Tupac and Snoop before they cut their first albums?’
A third was similarly outraged: “You were locking people up for possession of marijuana. And you condemn this only because the US cannot benefit from keeping her in Russia.
With today’s sentence, Russia continues its wrongful detention of Brittney Greener. She must be released immediately. @POTUS and I, and our entire administration, are working every day to reunite Britney, as well as Paul Whalen, with loved ones who miss each of them dearly.
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) August 4, 2022
You arrested people for possession of marijuana.
And you condemn this only because the US cannot benefit from keeping her in Russia. https://t.co/2lX9lZqVq3
— Karim says #FreePalestine 🇺🇸🇯🇲🌹🏳️🌈 🌻🇵🇸 (@shift_in2_turbo) August 5, 2022
The San Jose Mercury News reported in 2019 that during Harris’ tenure as San Francisco’s attorney general from 2004-2010, her office handled more than 1,900 marijuana convictions — though it said most of those arrested for low-level possessions were spared jail time and only a few dozen were incarcerated.
Harris was elected attorney general of the Golden State in 2011 and has had 1,970 more arrests for marijuana offenses, according to an investigation by the Washington Free Beacon, a conservative publication.
Harris also vocally opposed California’s marijuana legalization initiative, which eventually passed in 2016.
It wasn’t until around 2018 that she voiced her support for legalization, even endorsing a bill that removed cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act, Forbes reported. She also wrote a book advocating for the decriminalization of cannabis.
By the time Harris radically changed his stance on marijuana, there was already talk that he would run for president.
Harris famously sparred with Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard during a 2019 Democratic presidential debate after Gabbard brought up her record of jailing people for marijuana possession.
“She put over 1,500 people in jail for marijuana offenses and then laughed when asked if she had ever smoked marijuana,” Gabbard said, referring to Harris’ interview with “The Breakfast Club” radio show.
In that meeting, the White House candidate — and former prosecutor — admitted with a laugh that she smoked marijuana in college, saying, “I did. And I inhaled – inhaled. It was a long time ago. But yes.”
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