Back in 1971, President Richard Nixon launched the "War on Drugs," a campaign that's still affecting the U.S. today.
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However, a newly discovered recording from March 1973 reveals Nixon privately admitted that marijuana wasn’t "particularly dangerous." This recording, captured by his secret system in the White House, only recently came to light after a cannabis industry lobbyist found it while going through hours of Nixon’s tapes.
In the recording, Nixon said, "Let me say, I know nothing about marijuana... I know that it’s not particularly dangerous... But on the other hand, it’s the wrong signal at this time," referring to the movement to legalize marijuana. Publicly, Nixon called drug abuse “public enemy number one,” but in private, he questioned the harsh penalties Americans faced for marijuana-related crimes. Referring to a case where someone received a 30-year sentence for cannabis, he said, "The penalties are ridiculous."
Nixon even expressed concern over states like Texas where people were getting 10-year sentences for marijuana offenses, calling it “wrong.” Despite this, he was the one who created the federal drug classification system, placing marijuana in the same category as the most dangerous substances, like heroin. This decision not only fueled mass incarceration—especially among Black Americans, who are 3.6 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession—but also stifled research into its medical potential for decades.
The timing of these revelations is noteworthy, as the U.S. government is currently reconsidering marijuana’s classification as a Schedule I drug. There’s a proposal on the table to move it down to Schedule III, which would ease some of the restrictions surrounding its use and research. The DEA is planning a public hearing on the matter in December, following the presidential election.
Interestingly, both of the major 2024 presidential candidates seem open to loosening marijuana policies. For example, Kamala Harris has spoken out against marijuana being classified as a Schedule I drug, and Donald Trump recently acknowledged that legalizing recreational marijuana in Florida seems inevitable. While he didn’t fully endorse it, he did say, "We do not need to ruin lives & waste taxpayer dollars arresting adults with personal amounts of it on them."
These comments, along with Nixon's long-buried admission, highlight how the conversation around marijuana has shifted, even among politicians once associated with tougher stances.
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