Solution:
Use the wp_enqueue_scripts action to call this function, or admin_enqueue_scripts to call it on the admin side.
To load it for front end, use
add_action('wp_enqueue_scripts', 'my_scripts_method');
function my_scripts_method() {
wp_enqueue_script('jquery');
}
To load it for admin, use
add_action('admin_enqueue_scripts', 'my_admin_scripts_method');
function my_admin_scripts_method() {
wp_enqueue_script('jquery');
}
Reference: Codex.