Ehrlichmann spilled the beans on Nixon's War on Drugs

[Boreas]

We all know the terrible consequences of the War on Drugs, the consequences of which are increasingly being acknowledged by very people who once were its champions. They tell us that the horrendous damage done was never anticipated or desired but is that true?

“We knew we couldn’t make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did.”

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/poli...icle-1.2573832

The Harper's article cited in the NYDN piece is here.

http://harpers.org/archive/2016/04/legalize-it-all/

[donquixote99]

Millions of lives, of those prosecuted and their families and communities, have been shattered by the war on drugs. One can hardly imagine a more vivid demonstration of the damage that cynical, vindictive leadership can do.

It's high time this smoking gun handed to us by Ehrlichmann got some attention.

[Dondilion]

I supported the war on crack.

However the people who organized the war on drugs with the stated intent in the OP are evil.

[bobabode]

Startling admission from Ehrlichman. Harry Anslinger must be spinning in his grave.

[merrylander]

You will do more time for having them 'find' heroin on your premises than you will for killing a pedestrian while driving drunk.