On March 22, 1972 -- 30 years
ago today -- the presidentially-appointed National Commission on Marihuana
and Drug Abuse (also known as the "Shafer Commission," after its chair,
the Republican former governor of Pennsylvania, Raymond Shafer), released
its report and recommendations. The commission, like similar commissions
before it, called for decriminalization.
Recently released tapes of
discussions in Richard Nixon's oval office reveal that bizarre prejudices
and biases pervaded that administration's decision to ignore the commission's
highly-researched findings and instead dramatically escalate marijuana
enforcement and the overall war on drugs.
"We need, and I use the word
'all out war,' on all fronts..." was Richard Nixon's reaction to his national
commission's recommendation that marijuana no longer be a criminal offense,
according to recently declassified Oval Office tapes. The year after
Nixon's "all out war" declaration, marijuana arrests jumped by over 100,000
people even though the experts had said it should not be criminal.
The tapes from 1971-1972
demonstrate that the foundation of the modern war on marijuana was Nixon's
prejudice, culture war and misinformation. Common Sense for Drug
Policy has issued a report on the recently released recordings, whose highlights
are excerpted below.
"At a critical juncture when
the United States decided how it would handle marijuana, President Nixon's
prejudices did more to dominate policy than the thoughtful and extensive
review of his own Blue Ribbon Commission," observed CSDP president Kevin
Zeese. "If we had followed the advice of the experts rather than
Nixon's prejudices, we would have less marijuana use, be spending less
money on marijuana enforcement, and many millions less people would have
been arrested." Since the Commission issued its recommendation that
marijuana offenses not be a crime, fifteen million people have been arrested
on marijuana charges.
Highlights of Nixon comments
on marijuana:
-
Marijuana compared to alcohol:
marijuana consumers smoke "to get high" while "a person drinks to have
fun." Nixon also saw marijuana leading to loss of motivation and
discipline but claimed: "At least with liquor I don't lose motivation."
-
Marijuana and political dissent:
"... radical demonstrators that were here... two weeks ago... They're all
on drugs, virtually all."
-
Jews and marijuana: "I
see another thing in the news summary this morning about it. That's
a funny thing; every one of the bastards that are out for legalizing marijuana
is Jewish. What the Christ is the matter with the Jews, Bob, what
is the matter with them? I suppose it's because most of them are
psychiatrists..."
-
Marijuana and the culture wars:
"You see, homosexuality, dope, immorality in general. These are the
enemies of strong societies. That's why the Communists and the left-wingers
are pushing the stuff, they're trying to destroy us."
-
Drug education: "Enforce
the law, you've got to scare them."
The CSDP Research Report, "Nixon
Tapes Show Roots of Marijuana Prohibition: Misinformation, Culture Wars
and Prejudice," and text transcripts of portions of Nixon White House taped
conversations, including the portions excerpted in the report, are available
online at:
http://www.csdp.org/research/shafernixon.pdf
http://www.csdp.org/research/nixonpot.txt
The full text of the report
of the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse, "Marihuana: A Signal
of Misunderstanding," is available online at:
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/Library/studies/nc/ncmenu.htm
-- END --
|
Issue #229, 3/22/02
Editorial: Congress's Bad Joke | DRCNet Launching John W. Perry Scholarship Fund for Students Losing Aid Because of Drug Convictions at NYC Event on March 26 | Alert: Tell Congress to Repeal the HEA Drug Provision in Full | Supreme Court Hears Arguments in High School Drug Testing Case -- Comments by Justices Ominous | 3th Anniversary of Shafer Commission Report -- New Nixon Tapes Reveal Twisted Thinking at Root of Modern Marijuana War | Bush Administration Asks Congress to Lift All Restrictions on Aid to Colombia | Colorado State University Opens Nation's First College Drug Court | Canadian Firm That Sued US Over Hemp Foods Ban Set to Meet With Array of Feds -- NAFTA Rules Force US to Talk to Kenex | Medical Marijuana Bills Still Moving in Maryland, Vermont | Sentencing Project Study Finds 135,000 Children Affected by Welfare Ban for Drug Offenders | Alerts: HEA, Bolivia, DEA Hemp Ban, SuperBowl Ad, Ecstasy Legislation, Mandatory Minimums, Medical Marijuana, Virginia | The Reformer's Calendar
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