Harris outreach to Black men includes proposals on marijuana, crypto business

WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris proposed a suite of economic policies Monday aimed at appealing to Black men as the Democratic presidential nominee works to shore up a critical voting bloc whose support is showing signs of slipping.

Harris' "Opportunity Agenda for Black men" includes offering 1 million "fully forgivable" loans to Black business owners and new federal regulations for cryptocurrency to protect investors in the digital currency.

Harris has also proposed legalizing marijuana nationally for recreational use and ensuring Black entrepreneurs have access to the growing cannabis industry.

The proposals – unveiled just three weeks before Election Day – come as polling shows former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, has made inroads with Black men that could swing what's expected to be a razor-thin election. Democrats also worry about signs of lagging turnout among Black voters even as the country could elect the first Black woman president in U.S. history.

The Harris campaign said, if elected, the vice president will "break down unjust legal barriers that hold Black men and other Americans back by legalizing marijuana nationally, working with Congress to ensure that the safe cultivation, distribution, and possession of recreational marijuana is the law of the land."

More: Obama calls out Black men for hesitance with Harris: 'You're thinking about sitting out?'

Harris will "fight to ensure as the national cannabis industry takes shape, Black men – who have, for years, been over policed for marijuana use – are able to access wealth and jobs in this new market," the campaign said in a statement.

The campaign called the policy a "stark contrast with Donald Trump" and the Justice Department's approach with marijuana during his presidency. President Joe Biden's administration took steps this year to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I – its designation for decades – to a less dangerous Schedule III drug under the Controlled Substances Act.

Marijuana is legal for recreational use in 24 states as well as the District of Columbia. Trump, a Florida resident, said earlier this year that he will vote for a measure in his home state legalizing recreational marijuana that's on the ballot this fall.

Harris discussed her economic plan Monday in Erie, Pennsylvania at a campaign event at Legenderie Records and Coffee House, a Black-owned business, before holding a campaign rally later in the evening.

More: Biden administration plans to drastically change federal rules on marijuana

In recognition of Harris' challenge with Black men, former President Barack Obama, the nation's first Black president, called out Black men hesitant to support Harris in pointed remarks last Friday, suggesting some aren't rallying behind her because she is a woman.

A New York Times/Sienna College poll released over the weekend found Harris leading Black voters nationally over Trump by a wide 78%-15% margin – yet that's closer than the 2020 election, when Biden won 90% of Black voters, while Trump won just 9%, according to post-election polls and other assessments. A CBS News/YouGov poll found Harris ahead with Black voters by a wider 87%-12%.

"Kamala Harris is in full-blown desperation mode as she spends the waning days of the campaign attempting to stop the bleeding among voting blocs most traditionally aligned with Democrats," the Trump campaign said in a statement on Harris's economic agenda for Black voters.

Harris' loan proposal would provide loans fully forgivable up to $20,000 to Black entrepreneurs and others "who have a good idea but don’t have the resources, connections, or access to capital to get their business off the ground, as well as entrepreneurs locating small businesses in underserved communities," the campaign said.

The program, which would be administered through a new partnership with the Small Business Administration, builds off an earlier Harris proposal to increase tax deductions for small businesses from $5,000 to $50,000.

Harris' pledge to ensure cryptocurrency investors are "protected" comes as more than 20% of Black Americans own or have owned cryptocurrency assets, according to the campaign.

Harris' economic agenda also emphasizes expanding education, training and mentorship programs for Black men. Areas targeted include: investing in more Black male teachers; promoting registered apprenticeships and credentialing opportunities in Black communities; strengthening Black leadership programs in public schools and historically Black colleges and universities; and strengthening the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program to recruit and retain Black male teachers.

More: Harris to propose $50K tax break for small business in economic plan

Harris also wants to launch a health equity initiative focused on Black men to address sickle cell disease, diabetes, mental health, prostate cancer and other health challenges that disproportionately impact African American people, the campaign said.

Reach Joey Garrison on X, formerly Twitter, @joeygarrison.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Harris outreach to Black men includes proposals on marijuana, crypto