Richard Nixon Secretly Admitted Marijuana Is ‘Not Particularly Dangerous,’ New Tapes Reveal
Two years after launching the War on Drugs, calling substance use “public enemy No. 1,” President Richard Nixon privately acknowledged marijuana was “not particularly dangerous.” The admission came during a March 1973 Oval Office meeting with aides and was captured on Nixon’s secret recording system.
“Let me say, I know nothing about marijuana,” Nixon said. “I know that it’s not particularly dangerous, in other words, and most of the kids are for legalizing it. But on the other hand, it’s the wrong signal at this time.” He also mentioned harsh sentencing in cannabis cases. “The penalties should be commensurate with the crime.” He called a 30-year sentence for marijuana-related offenses “ridiculous.”
These comments were revealed in a series of tapes that have recently become accessible.
Kurtis Hanna, a Minnesota lobbyist and advocate for drug legalization, discovered the recordings while browsing the Nixon Library’s archives. Hanna said he was surprised by Nixon’s stance on cannabis, as it contradicted the public policies he …