Sen. Kamala Harris introduced legislation Tuesday that would decriminalize marijuana and erase previous convictions. The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2019 would remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act and authorize Congress to use tax revenue generated by the marijuana industry to create funds that would help individuals adversely impacted by the War on Drugs. Harris has pointed out that the legalization of marijuana will require a federal change in the rules regarding the substance.

"America's black and brown communities have paid the heaviest price for this country's drug war. The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act marks an unprecedented step toward repairing this harm and represents the responsible way to move forward on marijuana policy," Ed Chung, vice president of criminal justice reform at the Center for American Progress, said in a release announcing the legislation.

The legislation is the latest change in the senator's stance on the topic, as she opposed legalization during her stint as San Francisco's district attorney. In 2010, she came out against California Proposition 19, which attempted to allow adults 21 years and older to purchase and grow a limited amount of marijuana “for personal use.”

“Spending two decades in court rooms, Harris believes that drug selling harms communities,” said Harris’ campaign manager Brian Brokaw to Capitol Weekly at the time. “Harris supports the legal use of medicinal marijuana but does not support anything beyond that.”

Harris’ bill also includes a portion that ensures that individuals who have used or possessed marijuana in the past will still be eligible for public assistance, while also shielding them from the negative effects under immigration laws.

Sister legislation has been introduced in the House by Rep. Jerrold Nadler. Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker have also proposed legislation in the Senate to decriminalize the drug, according to Vox.