Richard Nixon's Trillion Dollar War on America

Richard Nixon conspired against the America people when he began his ill founded war on drugs.

While we all know the US has been at war with drugs for the past 50yrs, a war that has cost the United States of America over a Trillion Dollars and many of our freedoms. Many Americans do not realize that this war was a choice of the President Richard M Nixon. Nor do they realize that Congress created a presidential commission to review the research and recommend a long-term strategy, the Shafer Commission.

First Nixon stacked the deck to get the results he wanted:

Congress, when it passed the Controlled Substances Act in 1970, temporarily labeled marijuana a "Schedule I substance" -- a flatly illegal drug with no approved medical purposes. But Congress acknowledged that it did not know enough about marijuana to permanently relegate it to Schedule I, and so they created a presidential commission to review the research and recommend a long-term strategy. President Nixon got to appoint the bulk of the commissioners. Not surprisingly, he loaded it with drug warriors. Nixon appointed Raymond Shafer, former Republican Governor of Pennsylvania, as Chairman. As a former prosecutor, Shafer had a "law and order," drug warrior reputation. Nixon also appointed nine Commissioners, including the dean of a law school, the head of a mental health hospital, and a retired Chicago police captain. Along with the Nixon appointees, two senators and two congressmen from each party served on the Commission. The Shafer Commission -- officially known as the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse -- took its job seriously. They launched fifty research projects, polled the public and members of the criminal justice community, and took thousands of pages of testimony. Their work is still the most comprehensive review of marijuana ever conducted by the federal government.

Then when the commission dug deep into the marijuana situation they came to a surprising conclusion that marijuana should be legalized.

But in the end, the Shafer Commission issued a report that tried to correct the "extensive degree of misinformation," to "demythologize" and "desymbolize" marijuana. They reported finding that marijuana did not cause crime or aggression, lead to harder drug use or create significant biochemical, mental or physical abnormalities. They concluded: "Marihuana's relative potential for harm to the vast majority of individual users and its actual impact on society does not justify a social policy designed to seek out and firmly punish those who use it." The most important recommendation of the Commission was the decriminalization of possession or non-profit transfer of marijuana. Decriminalization meant there would be no punishment -- criminal or civil -- under state or federal law.

Nixon had his own ideas and it was not what the Shafer commission recommended:

Nixon reacted strongly to the report. In a recorded conversation on March 21, the day before the Commission released its report, Nixon said, "We need, and I use the word 'all out war,' on all fronts ... we have to attack on all fronts." Nixon and his advisors went on to plan a speech about why he opposed marijuana legalization, and proposed that he do "a drug thing every week" during the 1972 presidential election year. Nixon wanted a "Goddamn strong statement about marijuana ... that just tears the ass out of them."

Nixon's private comments about marijuana showed he was the epitome of misinformation and prejudice. He believed marijuana led to hard drugs, despite the evidence to the contrary. He saw marijuana as tied to "radical demonstrators." He believed that "the Jews," especially "Jewish psychiatrists" were behind advocacy for legalization, asking advisor Bob Haldeman, "What the Christ is the matter with the Jews, Bob?" He made a bizarre distinction between marijuana and alcohol, saying people use marijuana "to get high" while "a person drinks to have fun."

He also saw marijuana as part of the culture war that was destroying the United States, and claimed that Communists were using it as a weapon. "Homosexuality, dope, immorality in general," Nixon fumed. "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." His approach drug education was just as simplistic: "Enforce the law. You've got to scare them."

source

The Report of the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse
Marihuana: A Signal of Misunderstanding

Commissioned by President Richard M. Nixon, March, 1972
I apologize for not finding a better link.

While Richard Nixon was impeached from the office of president for his role in Watergate,
his war on drugs may have been a much worse crime against the American people.

I knew he was an ignorant sob but wow!

How's that war going?

Yep Nixon was a real arsehole...totally megalomaniacal personality.....how he got the American people to vote for his phoney personality is beyond me ...I pretty much saw that POS for what he was....do you HAVE to be half crazy to be a politician every time?

a reply to: AlaskanDad

Richard (I am not a crook) Nixon should have been hung. I remember watching this arsehole resigning while I wore the uniform to protect this country.

I won't even look at anything that scumbag had to say, I hope he is burning in hell. Yeah we are still suffering from the crap he pulled.

a reply to: AlaskanDad

He made a bizarre distinction between marijuana and alcohol, saying people use marijuana "to get high" while "a person drinks to have fun."

I was blown away by his Jew comments, but this above statement really takes the cake. I don't even know how to respond to this... the man was obviously mentally challenged. So basically the war on drugs was started by a racist retard. That's my conclusion.

It makes me sick thinking about the amount of tax money that's wasted on the "drug war" they want us all to worry about.... If our Govt. wasn't so ass backwards we could attempt to turn around some (I mean all) the mistakes they've made... As a person who suffers from Crohn's disease, I've found out that medical ********* (trying to respect the T&C and not promote use) has done wonders for me. I don't do it all day every day. I will do it after my day is complete (work priorities) and when I'm stuck in my house for the day. I know there are many others out there who are benefiting from it too, and I don't mean recreational use. Just seems like a lot of wasted effort, wasted money, scare tactics to the uninformed public and WAY TOO conservative approach to a plant that should have a more progressive outlook... Now if we are talking about Meth, Heroin, coc aine, prescription pills, crack, then you can make an argument, but for anyone to ever suggest marijuana is any worse than alcohol it's a complete and utter joke.

Damn you Nixon yet again.......

Star for YOU chaotic Order......

originally posted by: jhn7537
It makes me sick thinking about the amount of tax money that's wasted on the "drug war" they want us all to worry about.... If our Govt. wasn't so ass backwards we could attempt to turn around some (I mean all) the mistakes they've made... As a person who suffers from Crohn's disease, I've found out that medical ********* (trying to respect the T&C) has done wonders for me. I don't do it all day every day. I will do it after my day is complete (work priorities) and when I'm stuck in my house for the day. I know there are many others out there who are benefiting from it too, and I don't mean recreational use. Just seems like a lot of wasted effort, wasted money, scare tactics to the uninformed public and WAY TOO conservative approach to a plant that should have a more progressive outlook... Now if we are talking about Meth, Heroin, coc aine, prescription pills, crack, then you can make an argument, but for anyone to ever suggest marijuana is any worse than alcohol it's a complete and utter joke.

Damn you Nixon yet again.......

I suffer from the same illness and also have a medicinal card, but i only medicate AFTER working a 10 hour day in the privacy of my home. Think of all the money we could of put into things worthwhile -- like, uhhh actual AFFORDABLE healthcare if not free health coverage. If Libya had free healthcare why don't we?

sounds kind of stupid, and backwards right?
sounds a lot like today's gop leaders who think giving amnesty to millions of foreigners, will somehow fix the economy.
or how demonrats think by destroying the worlds greatest healthcare market, will somehow create the worlds greatest healthcare market.
or how they think by taxing rich people will somehow make poor people richer, especially when they are the rich people and they use the tax dollars for themselves, then borrow trillions on our backs.

yes i trashed both parties, because i don't discriminate against one party to stop the discrimination of the other.

wait what?

originally posted by: stirling
Yep Nixon was a real arsehole...totally megalomaniacal personality.....how he got the American people to vote for his phoney personality is beyond me ...I pretty much saw that POS for what he was....

Your assessment also seems to be pretty much current by todays standards as well.

and then reagan threw it all into overdrive
and its been expanded on by every president since so they can avoid looking like drug crazed communist jews that take part in radical demonstrations
gotta get some of those sweet sweet votes

www.politico.com...

a reply to: ThinkYouSpeak

I'm the same way... It's always in the privacy of my home, away from neighbors, children, etc.. I don't promote it, it's used to help the pains I deal with often in my GI tract. It also helps me with eating when I have a lost appetite and I begin to notice my weight dropping. I can speak of the benefits, just like I'm sure you can too. I was watching a program on CNBC (i believe it was that network) about marijuana and how the perception of it has changed drastically over the last decade or so... People aren't freaked out from Reefer Madness anymore, people are beginning to educate themselves, and I'm beginning to believe it will be fully legal within the next 5-10 years (I hope)...

When you begin to examine the costs of the drug war, it really makes you scratch your head to why we haven't altered this way of thinking yet. From the cost of the local, state, federal officers enforcing these bogus laws. To the wasted money being spent in the legal system. To the cost of imprisoning these users... It just adds up and up... And if we just taxed the plant, cut some of the police force and started worrying about more serious issues we MAY have a chance.

What is truly sad is the politicians at the time all knew of the Shafer Commissions Report, yet none have stopped Nixon's insane war against the American people, WTF?

And yet another reason we need statesmen, not politicians. I think most, if not the majority of career politicians, are very, very corrupt, just like this and worse.

I don't think Presidents should be able to pardon anyone (including themselves) from treasonous activities.

And this is another reason why we need term limits in our House and Senate... We need new minds, progressive minds in our nation's capital. What we don't need are old law makers stuck in their old ways, working off their OWN agendas and not listening to their constituents...

originally posted by: bjax9er
sounds kind of stupid, and backwards right?
sounds a lot like today's gop leaders who think giving amnesty to millions of foreigners, will somehow fix the economy.
or how demonrats think by destroying the worlds greatest healthcare market, will somehow create the worlds greatest healthcare market.
or how they think by taxing rich people will somehow make poor people richer, especially when they are the rich people and they use the tax dollars for themselves, then borrow trillions on our backs.

yes i trashed both parties, because i don't discriminate against one party to stop the discrimination of the other.

wait what?

Your background flies outside of my house everyday on a 3 X 5 flag, I am almost always seen wearing a ballcap with the same gadsden insignia embroidered on the front. When I have time and he is speaking I run over to Williamsburg to listen to Jefferson when he is speaking, it is pure joy. Bill Barker is excellent.

I trash politicians not parties, on the surface it appears to be two parties, but alas it is but one. I would have to say if the founders could see what was going on today they would not only be spinning in their graves but the breeze could be felt coast to coast.

originally posted by: AlaskanDad
What is truly sad is the politicians at the time all knew of the Shafer Commissions Report, yet none have stopped Nixon's insane war against the American people, WTF?

too late now
a lot of people would lose a lot of money and even more would be out of a job

besides countries that are destabilized by the organized crime (that comes with these substances being illegal) are much easier to deal with politically and economically

and maybe if youre really lucky and good at what you do their citizens will be willing to provide cheap labor (driving the cost of domestic labor to drop as supply exceeds demand) and some of your political donors would see a hefty increase in profits ensuring future contributions

originally posted by: AlaskanDad
Richard Nixon conspired against the America people when he began his ill founded war on drugs.

I don't want to derail the topic, and I agree that Nixon conspired against your people, but if I was American, I'd rather concentrate on what he did on 15th august 1971.

EVERYTHING we witness in the world today, including the crises in Ukraine, Syria, Lybia, Iraq, Afghanistan, aswell as the global financial crisis in '08, are linked to that day.

a reply to: AlaskanDad
Nixon was never impeached.

He's got a nice library

Makes me kinda sour about it now!

His senate and congress were old school thinkers even by the standards of 1972, it's taken essentially 42 years for just a state to allow it recreationally, we need another 20 to ... 50 (Strom Thurmond anyone) until the federal legislators are progressive enough (or uncorrupted enough) to justify it.

It's too bad Tricky Dick never met Jayden David or even some of the adults who are eased by any of its numerous remedies.

Jayden had his first Grand Mal Seizure Christmas Day, at 4 months of age. The seizure lasted an hour... The next year of Jaydens journey was filled with unanswered questions, misdiagnoses, and tons of synthetic drugs. Jayden continued to have 200-300 myoclonic seizures a day, and countless clonic and tonic seizures. Jason was desperate to find a diagnosis for Jayden. He spent countless hours researching, talking to parent groups, and countinuously asking questions. Finally Jason got the answer he wished he never would have heard, Dravet Syndrome.

After 4 years of different combinations of synthetic drugs and hundreds of side effects, a doctor in San Francisco recommend Jason try a form of medical marijuana called CBD. The CBD tincture he used was a liquid form and is non-intoxicating, meaning that Jayden would not feel a high. The first dose was given on national T.V. The show Weed Wars on discovery channel did a small documentary on Jason and Jayden ...