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Fat Joe joins VP Harris, Gov. Beshear for cannabis conversation

Fat Joe attends the 2021 BET Hip Hop Awards at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center on Oct. 1, 2021, in Atlanta. (Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET)

They may call him “Big Joey Crack,” but on Friday, Fat Joe was all about “that ganja green, that Cali weed.”

The rapper — real name Joseph Cartagena — joined Vice President Kamala Harris and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear on Friday to discuss marijuana reform.


During his State of the Union address earlier this month, President Joe Biden called for marijuana reform, a historic first for the nation’s highest office, and Harris’ roundtable examined how cannabis is currently classified in federal regulations.

Harris said that Beshear, Fat Joe and people who’ve received pardons for marijuana-related convictions present at the event were all in support of changing federal law regarding cannabis.

“I’ve said many times, I believe — I think we all at this table believe — nobody should have to go to jail for smoking weed,” Harris said.

Harris’ selections of Fat Joe and Beshear were fitting, as all have made headlines around marijuana.

Beshear signed into law medical marijuana in his state, while Harris, who has admitted to marijuana use, formerly prosecuted marijuana laws as the district attorney of San Francisco, though she has since publicly supported legalization.

Fat Joe, whose hits include “Lean Back” and “All the Way Up,” has told humorous anecdotes about his own marijuana use and has said he plans to invest in the cannabis market.