Though the US has lengthy had restrictive drug legal guidelines, the “Battle on Medication” is assumed to have formally begun in June 1971. declare “It is about taking medicine. To struggle and defeat this enemy, a brand new, complete offensive is critical,” he informed a information convention.
Lately found audio of Nickerson’s non-public conversations suggests he might not have absolutely believed what he was saying.
nixon throughout his time period as president infamous record Hundreds of hours of his conversations; this existence of recording In it he discusses the Watergate break-in and cover-up that proved to be key to his downfall. On recordings in 1972 and 1973, Reporter new york timesNixon admitted to aides that perhaps marijuana wasn’t as dangerous as he publicly claimed.
“Let me say, I do know nothing about marijuana,” Nickerson mentioned in March 1973, the graininess of the recording making it troublesome to listen to at occasions. “I do know it is not notably harmful; I do know most children help legalizing it.”
“However however,” he continued, “it’s the fallacious sign proper now.”
October 1970, Nixon sign Enacts the Managed Substances Act into legislation, classifying marijuana as a Schedule I narcotic drug – essentially the most restrictive narcotic drug Classificationreserved for substances that “haven’t any presently acknowledged medical use and a excessive potential for abuse.”
However privately, the president has expressed concern about overly punitive marijuana sentencing. “The penalties are ridiculous,” he informed home coverage adviser John Ehrlichman. “I haven’t got an issue with the truth that there must be, there must be penalties assessed for marijuana, and there should not be penalties like in Texas the place persons are getting 10 years in jail for smoking marijuana. That is fallacious. of.
In one other recording from September 1972, simply weeks earlier than Nixon was operating for re-election, White Home counsel Charles Colson mentioned of Democratic presidential candidate George McGovern’s help for decriminalization, “and Probably lowering penalties for marijuana use. “I truly help altering penalties in lots of areas, however I am not speaking about it anymore,” Nickerson famous.
“Definitely, lowering a few of the penalties is a accountable stance,” Colson responded.
There was no such even-handedness in Nixon’s coverage platform. Actually, in March 1970, LSD researcher Timothy Leary Sentenced to up to 10 years in prison Possession of lower than one ounce of marijuana. However somewhat than advocating for “mitigation,” Nickerson, who thought-about Leary an enemy, went in the wrong way: “I desire a rattling powerful assertion on marijuana,” he mentioned. Tell Chief of Staff H.R. Haldeman Might 1970. “God, we’ll crack down on marijuana, and I wish to hit the nail on the top.” Nickerson declared a struggle on medicine the next month.
Nickerson’s non-public admission was definitely infuriating in comparison with his public statements. In 2020 alone, greater than 317,000 individuals in the US arrested Marijuana possession was truly down 36% from the earlier yr. Though black People make up lower than 14% of the full inhabitants, they make up practically 39% of the full.
This isn’t information to the Nixon White Home. When the Managed Substances Act positioned marijuana in its most severe class, Nickerson established the Nationwide Fee on Marijuana and Drug Abuse to check the difficulty. In 1972, the committee issued a report, Marijuana: Misunderstood Signalswhich amongst different issues unanimously recommended Decriminalize the private possession and use of hashish, encourage “Persuade, not prosecute.” Though Nickerson elected 9 of the 13 members, he ignored the committee’s findings.
Erlichman admit In 1994, journalist Dan Baum informed reporters the true motivations for the struggle on medicine:
The 1968 Nixon marketing campaign, and the Nixon White Home thereafter, had two enemies: the antiwar left and blacks. Do you perceive what I am saying? We all know we will not make it unlawful to be anti-war or anti-black, however by having the general public affiliate hippies with marijuana and black individuals with heroin, after which closely criminalizing each, we will disrupt these communities. We are able to arrest their leaders, raid their properties, disrupt their conferences, and slander them night time after night time on the night information. Do we all know we lied about medicine? In fact we did.
Nickerson and his aides have privately expressed uncertainty in regards to the validity of marijuana convictions, a brand new revelation that’s maddening and life-changing contemplating how many individuals have been arrested merely for possession. However as historical past reveals, this data was freely obtainable; they only did not care.
