Nat'l Comm'n on Marihuana and Drug Abuse FINAL Report released 40 years ago -- 40 years ahead of its time

The National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse released its second and final report, Drug Use in America: Problem in Perspective, 40 years ago (March 22, 1973). I discuss some of its wise observations and its prediction of the failures and problems of a "war on drugs" approach in my post  on Huffington Post, last Friday. Check it out!

This important report, that looked at the drug problem quite broadly, was overshadowed by the Commission's first, interim report, Marihuana: A Signal of Misunderstanding, that was issued on March 22, 1972, which recommended marijuana decriminalization. Unfortunately, many people erroneously think that there was only one Shafer Commission report, the first one.

Shafer was former Pennsylvania Governor Raymond Philip Shafer (R), who was appointed by President Richard Nixon, along with eight other distinguished citizens. Four members of the Commission were two U.S. Senators and two U.S. Representatives selected by the congressional leadership.

Nixon famously ignored the report, and refused to be photographed receiving the report from the commissioners. He had tried to pressure Shafer to change the recommendations, but Shafer refused.

Sphere: Related Content