Thirty years ago today, the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug
Abuse ("the Shafer Commission"), appointed by President Nixon, released its landmark report, "Marihuana: A Signal of Misunderstanding."  

The report, which recommended the decriminalization of marijuana, was rejected by Nixon.

Recently released tapes of Nixon reveal that his prejudices and political fears led him to reject his own commission's call to decriminalize marijuana. Nixon believed that marijuana fueled political dissent, and also believed that there was a Jewish conspiracy to legalize the drug. 

Nixon’s rejection of the Shafer Commission’s decriminalization recommendation has resulted in the arrest of 15 million Americans since 1972.

>> Read Once-Secret "Nixon Tapes" Show Why the U.S. Outlawed Pot
Kevin Zeese, an essay by Kevin Zeese, President of Common Sense for Drug Policy.

>> Read a report by Common Sense for Drug Policy which documents Nixon's misunderstandings, prejudices, and political concerns with respect to marijuana.

>> Read the original Shafer Commission Report.