IV 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 747 
Acknowledging that the War on Drugs has been a failed policy in achieving 
the goal of reducing drug use, and for the House of Representatives 
to apologize to the individuals and communities that were victimized 
by this policy. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 6, 2019 
Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN (for herself, Mr. TAKANO, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. 
NORTON, Mr. LEWIS, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. MOORE, Ms. PRESSLEY, 
Ms. WILSON of Florida, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. 
HORSFORD, Ms. JOHNSON of Texas, Ms. FUDGE, Ms. BASS, Mr. BROWN 
of Maryland, Ms. ADAMS, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. 
DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, and Mr. POCAN) submitted the following res-
olution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 
and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee con-
cerned 
RESOLUTION 
Acknowledging that the War on Drugs has been a failed 
policy in achieving the goal of reducing drug use, and 
for the House of Representatives to apologize to the 
individuals and communities that were victimized by this 
policy. 
Whereas, until the early 1900s, most of today’s illegal sub-
stances were not regulated by the Federal Government, 
and there was no ‘‘War on Drugs’’; 
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•HRES 747 IH 
Whereas, in the 1930s, the first Commissioner of the Federal 
Bureau of Narcotics, Harry J. Anslinger, who was a 
strong opponent to marijuana, pushed a heavy propa-
ganda campaign to demonize marijuana use, stating that 
it caused people to become violent and criminals; 
Whereas much of this propaganda was racially charged 
against the Mexican-American community, for example, 
as Commissioner Anslinger testified to the 75th Congress 
in 1937 that, ‘‘I wish I could show you what a small 
marijuana cigarette can do to one of our degenerate 
Spanish speaking residents. That’s why our problem is so 
great; the greatest percentage of our population is com-
posed of Spanish-speaking persons, most of who are low 
mentally, because of social and racial conditions’’; 
Whereas, in 1937, the 75th Congress passed the Marijuana 
Tax Act which criminalized marijuana, and laws passed 
during the following years were introduced to institute 
mandatory minimum sentences for those who bought, 
sold, and used the drug; 
Whereas over the course of the next few decades, studies con-
ducted by scientists did not find any connection between 
the use of marijuana and violent behaviors, and in 1973 
the Shafer Commission Report on Marijuana and Drugs 
concluded that, ‘‘The Commission believes that the con-
temporary American drug problem has emerged in part 
from our institutional response to drug use . . . We have 
failed to weave policy into the fabric of social institu-
tions.’’; 
Whereas despite mounting evidence, the Federal Govern-
ment’s approach to the abuse of drugs continued to be 
one of criminalizing drug abuse instead of treatment; 
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