Slow Burn: One Year — "Mr. Marijuana and the Drug Czar"

Podcast: Slow Burn
Host: Josh Levin, Slate Podcasts
Episode Date: August 10, 2021

Episode Overview

This episode of "One Year" from Slate’s Slow Burn podcast explores the pivotal moment in American drug policy during the late 1970s, focusing on the alliance—and eventual implosion—between Keith Stroup (“Mr. Marijuana”), the charismatic head of NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws), and Dr. Peter Bourne, President Jimmy Carter’s progressive, reform-minded drug czar. Through first-hand interviews and archival tape, the episode examines the optimism of the late-70s pro-marijuana movement, the surprising rise of anti-drug parent activism, and the fateful party that set off a cascade of scandals, derailing a movement on the verge of victory.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The 1977 NORML Christmas Party: A Movement Riding High

• Setting the Scene: In December 1977, Washington, D.C. was abuzz with a weekend NORML conference. Pot smoke, caviar, rock bands, and even the President’s drug czar, Peter Bourne, helped create a sense of triumph among advocates.
• Quote:
  • "Part of the thrill of being there was it was so goddamn out in the open." — Keith Stroup (06:14)
• Tone: Euphoria and incredulity at being so public in a buttoned-down capital.

2. Keith Stroup’s Origins and NORML’s Early Ambitions

• Backstory: Stroup, inspired by Ralph Nader-style advocacy, founded NORML in 1970 to fight for the rights of marijuana users and push for decriminalization.
• Quote:
  • "Our social policy should be one where we recognize that recreational drugs are going to be used, but we direct our society...towards the drugs...which are least harmful." — Keith Stroup (13:50)

3. Marijuana Law History & Nixon’s War on Drugs

• Context: Nixon’s administration classified marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug and ignored independent recommendations to decriminalize it, but states began changing laws on their own.
• Quote:
  • “Nixon thinks...it should absolutely be outlawed and banned...but when all those Nixon appointees weighed the evidence, they did something surprising.” — Emily Dufton, historian (17:30)
• Key Turning Point: States like Oregon pass decriminalization; Carter’s election brings hope of federal change.

4. Dr. Peter Bourne: The Public Health Reformist

• Profile: British-born doctor and Carter confidant, Bourne viewed drug policy through a public health lens—heroin was the real crisis; marijuana was "trivial."
• Quote:
  • "Our goal was to have a situation where no heroin addict could say, I want treatment, but there's nowhere I can go to get it." — Peter Bourne (21:44)
• Philosophy: Pragmatic, focused on harm reduction.

5. A Symbiotic—But Uneasy—Alliance

• Bourne and NORML’s Bond:
  • Stroup gains unprecedented access to the White House; his talking points end up in Carter’s congressional message.
• Notable Exchange:
  • "We're going to get legislation passed...we fully thought within three or four or five years, we would have decriminalization passed in all states across the country." — Keith Stroup (29:46)
• Underlying Tension: Stroup’s all-in legalization clashed with Bourne’s targeted approach.

6. The Parents' Movement Emerges

• Unexpected Opposition:
  • Marcia Keith Shewhart, a liberal Atlanta mother, forms PRIDE—Parents Resource Institute for Drug Education—after a backyard pot-and-booze incident at her daughter’s birthday party.
  • Shewhart and others mobilize parental anxiety and media-savvy campaigns, exploiting NORML’s weak spot: no clear distinction between adult and youth marijuana use.
• Quote:
  • "They set uniform rules for all of their kids...All of a sudden, these parents had...their children back." — Emily Dufton (34:55)
• Potent Visuals: The “Bong Show”—displays of paraphernalia targeting kids.

7. The Infamous Christmas Party and Cocaine Scandal (42:12 – 54:00)

• Legendary Night:
  • NORML’s Christmas party: Politicos, journalists, rockers (Hunter S. Thompson), and the White House’s drug czar all in attendance.
  • Accusations that Bourne did a line of cocaine in a private room—accounts disputed by Bourne, corroborated by Stroup and others.
• Memorable Moments:
  • "After I went back to sit down, Hunter looked at me and said, ‘Jesus Christ, Craig, we're all going to be indicted now...Snorting the line with the president's drug czar.’" — Craig Capitas (48:18)
• Bourne’s Denial:
  • "That is so untrue. I may have been stupid enough to go to the party, but I had no interest in doing cocaine." — Peter Bourne (51:15)

8. Fallout: The Scandals that Killed Reform

• Quaalude Prescription Incident (Redux):
  • Bourne writes a prescription under a pseudonym for a staffer, raising ethics and legal questions (54:12)
• Bourne’s Resignation:
  • Following press leaks (including Stroup confidentially tipping off Jack Anderson’s team about the coke incident), both scandals break. Bourne resigns; Carter accepts “with regret.”
• Quote:
  • "Peter Bourne, out of consideration for my administration, has submitted his resignation this afternoon, which I have accepted with regret." — Jimmy Carter (01:01:09)
• Stroup’s Regret:
  • "Any idiot should have recognized...that didn't justify destroying that point of access to power." — Keith Stroup (01:03:15)
• Personal Rupture: Neither Bourne nor Stroup would ever repair their relationship.

9. The Parents Movement Wins; Reform Dies

• Aftermath:
  • The White House grows wary of being seen as "soft on drugs."
  • The parents’ movement (PRIDE), now welcomed in, influences federal anti-pot messaging (“Parents, Peers and Pot”).
  • Marijuana use falls in the 1980s; decriminalization stops dead.
• Quote:
  • "Marijuana usage peaked in America in 1979, then fell in every age category in the 1980s. And decriminalization, it stopped cold." — Host narration (01:10:01)

10. Reflections and Legacy

• Stroup: Returns to NORML decades later, sees some of his dreams realized with state-level legalization.
• Bourne: Feels he was the most progressive drug czar America ever had, but still wounds from the betrayal.
• Bitterness & Understanding:
  • "Well, that's a good question, I suppose quite a lot." — Bourne, on blaming Stroup (01:13:20)
  • "He had a serious cocaine problem...I don't doubt that cocaine had something to do with it. Sure." — Bourne (01:13:50)
• Closing Thought: Small rivalries, personal failings, and cultural anxieties combined to undo a promising drug policy revolution.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote / Moment | |-----------|---------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 06:14 | Keith Stroup | "Part of the thrill of being there was it was so goddamn out in the open." | | 13:50 | Keith Stroup | "Our social policy should be one where we recognize that recreational drugs are going to be used..." | | 17:30 | Emily Dufton | "Nixon thinks...it should absolutely be outlawed and banned..." | | 21:44 | Peter Bourne | "Our goal was to have a situation where no heroin addict could say, I want treatment, but there's nowhere I can go..." | | 29:46 | Keith Stroup | "We're going to get legislation passed...we fully thought within three or four or five years..." | | 34:55 | Emily Dufton | "They set uniform rules for all of their kids...All of a sudden, these parents had...their children back." | | 48:18 | Craig Capitas | "Hunter looked at me and said, ‘Jesus Christ, Craig, we're all going to be indicted now...’" | | 51:15 | Peter Bourne | "That is so untrue. I may have been stupid enough to go to the party, but I had no interest in doing cocaine." | | 01:01:09 | Jimmy Carter | "Peter Bourne, out of consideration for my administration, has submitted his resignation...I have accepted with regret."| | 01:03:15 | Keith Stroup | "Any idiot should have recognized...that didn't justify destroying that point of access to power." | | 01:10:01 | Host narration | "Marijuana usage peaked in America in 1979, then fell in every age category in the 1980s. And decriminalization, it stopped cold."| | 01:13:20 | Peter Bourne | "Well, that's a good question, I suppose quite a lot." (on blaming Stroup) | | 01:13:50 | Peter Bourne | "He had a serious cocaine problem...I don't doubt that cocaine had something to do with it. Sure." |

Key Segment Timestamps

• Opening / NORML Party Backstory: 02:30 – 09:00
• Keith Stroup’s Origins & NORML’s Agenda: 09:00 – 16:30
• Nixon’s Drug Law Regime: 16:30 – 21:00
• Peter Bourne’s Biography / Carter’s Administration: 21:00 – 27:20
• High Tide for Decriminalization: 27:20 – 33:00
• Rise of Anti-Drug Parent Activism: 33:00 – 41:40
• The NORML Party & Cocaine Incident: 42:12 – 54:00
• Bourne's Precipitating Scandal & Resignation: 54:00 – 01:04:00
• Political Backlash & New Federal Tone: 01:04:00 – 01:11:00
• Reflections / Legacy: 01:11:00 – End

Conclusion

This episode tells the story of a cultural and policy crossroads—a moment when legalization seemed within reach thanks to an unlikely alliance of true believers. But political naivety, internal betrayals, media spectacle, and public anxiety over children’s safety set off a chain of events that reversed the reform momentum. By highlighting how personal choices and unforeseen activism can flip the script of history, Slow Burn masterfully illuminates the fragility of social progress—and the lasting fallout of one wild party in Washington.