Jimmy Carter, born October 1, 1924, served as the 39th U.S. President (1977 - 1981).
Carter has since involved himself with philanthropy, most famously the Habitat for Humanity, and as well with something called The Carter Center, a 501(c)(3) charity
A non governmental center, The Carter Center has helped to improve life for people in more than 80 countries by resolving conflicts; advancing democracy and human rights; preventing disease; and improving mental health care.
With regard to the area of policy reform regarding Coca, The Carter Center, in conjunction with something called the "International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance" came out with a report DRUG POLICIES IN THE ANDEES: Seeking Humane & Effective Alternatives". Its listed authors are Socorro RamÃrez and Coletta Youngers. It's opening letter is signed by Jimmy Carter and Vidar Helgesen.
According to this report:
Jimmy Carter wrote in the New York Times:
"In a message to Congress in 1977, I said the country should decriminalize the possession of
less than an ounce of marijuana, with a full treatment program for addicts. I also cautioned
against filling our prisons with young people who were no threat to society, and summarized by
saying: “Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual
than the use of the drug itself.” These ideas were widely accepted at the time. But in the 1980s
President Reagan and Congress began to shift from balanced drug policies, including the
treatment and rehabilitation of addicts, towards futile efforts to control drug imports from foreign
97 countries."
NORML - the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws - famously claimed, such as in the following 1977 advertisement in Playboy Magazine, that Carter stated
"Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself" ...
Nowhere is this more clear than in the laws against possession of marijuana in private for personal use.... The National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse concluded 5 years ago that marijuana should be decriminalized, and I believe it is time to implement those basic recommendations.
"Therefore, I support legislation amending Federal law to eliminate all Federal criminal penalties for the possession of up to 1 ounce of marijuana."
Jimmy Carter
Message to Congress, 8-2-77
From the actual remarks:
STATEMENT RE DRUG ABUSE AUGUST 2, 1977
Today I am sending Congress a message which expresses my strong criticism about crime, sickness, and death caused by the abuse of drugs -- including barbiturates and alcohol. The estimated cost of drug abuse in America exceeds $15 billion each year.
I am ordering the attorney general to concentrate on breaking the links between organized crime and drug traffic, to enhance cooperation among all law enforcement agencies and to ensure more certain conviction and quick punishment for those who habitually traffic in drugs.
We will not have an effective and united federal effort against drugs unless we reorganize the current federal effort, now divided among more than 20 different, often competing agencies. Therefore, I am directing my staff to study ways to eliminate this duplication and overlap and end the long-standing fragmentation among our international drug enforcement programs. We must also have international cooperation to control the production and transport of dangerous drugs [and block their movement].
We are making some progress in this already, in part because of cooperation from the governments of Mexico, Burma, Columbia and Thailand.
Heroin sold on our streets is now in such short supply that it is only 4.9 percent pure -- the lowest quality detected since records have taken effect.
In our own country, I am ordering a study of how we can best control the abuse of barbiturates and other prescription drugs -- which cause many deaths -- while not interfering with their legitimate medical use.
We will make further efforts to deal with the problem on the international level. By cooperating with law enforcement officials abroad, by sharing treatment knowledge, by backing United Nations Drug Programs, by helping to find alternate crops for drug producing countries, and by supporting the ratification of the convention on psychotropic substances.
In our own country, I am ordering a study of how we can best control the abuse of barbiturates and other prescription drugs -- which can cause many deaths - while not interfering with their legitimate use.
I support a change in law to end federal criminal penalties for possession of up to one ounce of marijuana, leaving the states free to adopt whatever laws they wish concerning marijuana.
Decriminalization is not legalization. I do not condone drug abuse, and we will do everything possible to reduce this serious threat to our society. Federal civil penalties should be exacted as a continued deterrent to possession and use of marijuana
Drug research and treatment programs will also be improved to lessen the adverse impact of drugs on the lives of our people.
It is ultimately the strength of the American people, of our values and our society, that they will determine whether we can be successful in our fight against drug abuse."
Here is another source for Carter's August 2, 1977 remarks https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/drug-abuse-message-the-congresst.
Carter would prove himself a disappointment, by surrendering to the drug war's faux morality in response to a piece by syndicated columnist Jack Anderson, tattling upon White House drug policy advisor Peter Bourne participating in a Christmas 1977 NORML party where powdered cocaine was reportedly taken up the nose. This report had come from remarks by NORML director Keith Stroup, who tattled upon Bourne for failing to oppose the Carter administration's efforts to poison Marijuana consumers by aerial spraying of Marijuana crops in Mexico with paraquat.
So rather than call for stopping the paraquat program, Carter makes an issue out of Bourne's purported sorting of a few bumps of cocaine recreational-socially at that Christmas party. Carter fires Bourne, replacing him with more of a drug war toady, Peter Bessinger. And for his remaining term, Carter reverts to being more overtly deferential to the status quo, as do others as shown with the ending of the various legislative moves in the various states to decriminalize Cannabis.
Seven states had decriminalized during the mid 1970s, but that ended with the Carter-Bourne affair. Carter was subsequently defeated in his 1980 re-election bid by former California governor (and Chesterfield tobacco cigarette spokesperson) Ronald Wilson Reagan, who served as the 40th U.S. President. Under Reagan, deference to the drug war was heightened. DEA budgets shot up. And at a 1985 CPAC - Conservative Political Action Conference - we heard DEA administrator Jack Lawn brag about expanded powers to disregard the 8th amendment by seizing people's entire houses for the "crime" of using a house phone for a phone conversation about drug "conspiracy" - e.g. two people discussing a drug deal. So much for Reagan's lip service to reducing the size and scope of government.
Marijuana policy reform would remain stagnate, as did that with any of the other drugs. And worse, following the highly publicized June 1986 cocaine overdose of University of Maryland Boston Celtics draft select Len Bias, both the Republican AND Democrat parties capitulated to orchestrated mass media drug war madness by dramatically escalating cocaine related penalties, with their hyperbole over "crack" cocaine- their name for cocaine in sulfate rather than hydrochloride form.
Up to then, contraband cocaine had been available mainly in hydrochloride form for sniffing. The sulfate form would emerge with the late 1970s fad of instead smoking cocaine which was highly intensely alluric ("addictive" in the psychological sense rather than physical sense like heroin caffeine and particularly nicotine) Smoking the hydrochloride was inefficient, so using sulfate for smoking became popularized. But here is the catch, taking the sulfate by sniffing - yes, sniffing the sulfate instead of the hydrochloride was an immensely LESS habituating. With sniffing the hydrochloride people would have to re-dose every 25 minutes. But with sniffing the sulfate, ground up into a power, the absorption was significantly improved, that is, slowed down. SO people got a considerably more useful effect. One can sniff powdered cocaine sulfate without any need to re-dose for over one or two hours. Works better than drinking Coffee. But smoking the sulfate gives an immense rush, too intense for work. And the mass media of course would report endlessly about smoking the sulfate, and sniffing the hydrochloride, while saying nothing about sniffing the sulfate. The 1989 book Intoxication by UCLA's Robert S. Seigel made a mention of sulfate sniffing for temporary relief of arthritis with successes, yet that would be suppressed by supposed medical boards. So rather than reporting upon a safer way of taking cocaine, the media sensationalizes and popularizes a more dangerous way.
The next U.S. President, Herbert Walker Bush further exploits drug war hyperbole with a televised address showing off a bag of cocaine sulfate reportedly purchased from a teenager at Lafayette Park across the street from the White House, touting the usual drug war garbage. Bush succumbs to some political chicanery with the supposed "independent" candidate H.R. Perot (also a drug war minion, who drops out of the race the day of Clinton's Democrat Party convention formal nomination, only to "re-enter" the day of Bush's Republican Party likewise nomination), who siphons enough votes to elect the next U.S. President William Jefferson Clinton. Numerous people are thrilled about Clinton's election, since he is of a younger generation far likelier to consume legalized substances, and for being seen playing a saxophone on the Arsinio late night television show (much as the Allman Brothers seduced the many endorsing Carter in 1976.) But as typical, Clinton likewise proved to be a tremendous disappointment.
As an example, in 1993, a report, commissioned by the U.S. government commissions a report on "Coca Reduction Strategies" - by Harvard University. And to its credit the report suggests some legalization of Coca for a variety of medical uses, and even as a mild stimulant akin to Coffee (without any mention of Tobacco). Nonetheless, the Democrat Administration of 42nd U.S. President William Jefferson Clinton buries the report, as it did with a 1994 United Nations World Health Organization report. So much for all the enthusiasm we saw at the 1993 inauguration with posters and flyers of Clinton and his saxophone.
So where during all this time was Jimmy Carter?
We heard about his involvement with his favored charity Habitat For Humanity.
But what about anything towards alleviating let alone ending the drug war?
In 2009, there appeared a bit of hope, with Carter's encounter with Bolivia's Evo Morales.
However, what about the recommendations within the above referenced 2011 report?
And what did it call for?
Did it say build upon the 1993 U.S. Congress of Technology Assessment Report Coca Reductions Strategies report, which recommended legalizing Coca leaf as well as a few Coca leaf based preparations?
NO!
It simply regurgitates the typical jesuitical glacial approach, by calling for respecting the rights of some indigenous peoples for small scale Coca cultivation for personal traditional uses - as if directed by the very same people behind the George Soros backed "Drug Policy Alliance" (founded in 2000 from the wreckage of the previous "Drug Policy Foundation" - with this D.P.A. too timid to hold any conference panels addressing the Coca issue, except for two identical panels in 2015 & 2017.
See this blog's numerous articles about the Drug Policy Foundation/Drug Policy Alliance, particularly about Ira Glasser and Ethan Nadelmann.....
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