March 22 marks the 35th anniversary of the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse’s famed report, “Marihuana: A Signal of Misunderstanding,” which concluded that marijuana use and distribution, in large part, should be made legal. The report was the product of the Shafer Commission – named after its chair, Pennsylvania Gov. Raymond Shafer – whose members were appointed by then-President Richard Nixon. Nixon refused to even read the report, which concluded that “neither the marihuana user nor the drug itself can be said to constitute a danger to public safety” – not exactly the kind of message that helps to ramp up a federally funded war on dope. Of course, Nixon’s response was not unlike that of his modern counterparts, who just love ignoring science and other considered opinions that conclude that our draconian brand of drug prohibition is, in fact, a flop.
This article appears in March 16 • 2007.