Harris talks racial identity, marijuana on basketball podcast

By Gabriella Borter

(Reuters) - Vice President Kamala Harris addressed Donald Trump's comments on her racial identity, the value she places on mental health, and her support for legalizing marijuana with former NBA stars Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes on a podcast that aired on Monday.

Harris was interviewed by the two former professional basketball players at her home in Washington for their podcast, "All the Smoke," as her campaign tries to reach more men, especially Black men, among whom polls show support for Republican opponent Trump.

According to a Reuters/Ipsos survey from Aug. 21-28, 41% of male respondents said they would vote for Harris if the election were held immediately versus 47% saying they would back Trump. About two-thirds of Black men supported Harris.

Barnes alluded to Trump's confusion over Harris' racial identity when he asked how she felt about "people questioning the fabric of who you are." Harris is the daughter of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father.

"I’m really clear about who I am and if anybody else is not, they need to go through their own level of therapy, that’s not my issue," she said.

Harris reiterated a view she had expressed before becoming the Democrats' presidential candidate in July that cannabis should be decriminalized, citing the disproportionate impact that marijuana criminalization has had on Black people. "We know historically what that has meant and who has gone to jail."

Harris also talked about the stigmas around seeking help for mental health, and said she protects her own with daily exercise, cooking and not reading the comments section on social media.

"I think the mental health issue is probably one of the biggest public policy failures in our country," she said. "We have acted as though the body starts from the neck down, instead of understanding we need healthcare also from the neck up."

Harris said she had trouble sleeping right after President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed her as the Democratic candidate because everything was moving "in speedy, speedy motion."

One morning she got out of bed long before anyone was awake and started cooking, she said.

"I just went out and got a pork roast and started marinating it."

(Reporting by Gabriella Borter; editing by Heather Timmons and Bill Berkrot)