The Shafer report
Does anyone remember this report and the coverup that followed, thank you Mr. Nixon;
The "Shafer Commission" made an incredibly thorough examination of all facets of cannabis use and prohibition. They received testimony from police, judges, doctors, politicians, students, lawyers, clinicians and many others, producing thousands of pages of transcripts. They also commissioned dozens of surveys, studies and projects, and travelled to many other nations to examine their cultural and social mores in relation to cannabis.
Despite their initial anti-pot leanings, the commission ultimately bowed to the weight of the evidence, and issued a remarkably tolerant and accurate report. The commission report, titled Marihuana: A Signal of Misunderstanding, found that marijuana use caused "no significant physical, biochemical, or mental abnormalities," and that "most users, young and old, demonstrate an average or above-average degree of social functioning, academic achievement, and job performance."
The report also found that marijuana did not cause violent behavior, did not lead to heroin or other drugs, and concluded that "neither the marihuana user nor the drug itself can be said to constitute a danger to public safety." The commission found that the evidence on marijuana "does not justify a social policy designed to seek out and firmly punish those who use it."
The report recommended that "Federal and state laws be changed to no longer make it a crime to possess marijuana for private use. State laws should make the public use of marijuana a criminal offense punishable by a $100 fine. Under federal law, marijuana smoked in public would merely be subject to seizure."
These findings were not what Nixon had wanted to hear. The tapes reveal that Nixon had put immense pressure on Shafer to have the commission's findings back Nixon's drug war, telling him "keep your commission in line."
"You're enough of a pro," Nixon told a nervous Shafer, "to know that for you to come out with something that would run counter to what the Congress feels and what the country feels and what we're planning to do, would make your Commission just look bad as hell."
When he learned that the commission was going to recommend decriminalization despite his efforts, Nixon told his advisor Bob Haldeman how they would counteract the commission report. "I want a goddamn strong statement about marijuana," growled Nixon. "I mean one on marijuana that just tears the ass out of them."
Ultimately, Nixon ignored the Shafer commission, punishing Shafer by dead-ending his career and blocking him from further promotion. Nixon followed through on his threat to wage a real drug war; marijuana arrests skyrocketed during his tenure, jumping by over 130,000 between 1972 and 1973, totalling over 420,000 arrests
The rest of this article can be read at this link;
http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/2500.html
