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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.
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 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."
He made a bizarre distinction between marijuana and alcohol, saying people use marijuana "to get high" while "a person drinks to have fun."
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.......
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....
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?
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?
originally posted by: AlaskanDad
Richard Nixon conspired against the America people when he began his ill founded war on drugs.
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 ...