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DURING THE REEFER MADNESS ERA
WWII DRAFT DODGER or VICTIM of RACIAL PROFILING?
- THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE -
WARNING : Due primarily to the museum’s present-day economical situation, we have not been able to do a full-scale investigation into the Gad Holland case. [Hint, we accept donations] We were however, able to obtain a couple of newspaper articles which shed a lot of light on this case.
According to H. J. Anslinger (America’s first true Drug Czar and Orchestrator of the Reefer Madness Campaign):
“Michigan - In October 1943 in Detroit, Mich., Prison sentence given for claiming use of marihuana to evade military service Gad Sam Holland was sentenced in Federal Court to 5 years' imprisonment on a charge of attempting to evade induction into the Armed Services by smoking marihuana cigarettes to make him physically unfit before appearing for his examination, and by giving false statements that he was addicted to the use of marihuana. - After Holland was rejected by his Selective Service Board because he informed them of his use of marihuana, narcotic agents investigated his case which resulted in the conviction.” -- The Traffic in Opium and Other Dangers Drugs (1943)Here it is important for the reader to understand (the above) version of the story in its proper context. Note the date 1943, placing this case right in the middle of the Second World War, a time when America had been attacked and fighting for its very life. Thus the term “Draft Dodger” had a totally different definition at that time from the one that it did during the Vietnam War. Simply put (back then), to be called a Draft Dodger" was the same as saying; "Lower Than Scum."
However, like everything else about Anslinger’s drug war was concerned, the truth never really existed as far as he was concerned. This museum (use to Anslinger’s lies), became suspicious right from the get go. Why, given the fact that so many others must have used the same excuse to avoid military service, was the Gad Holland case even mentioned? What was so special about this one person? --- The answer is a lot. According to the Detroit Free Press:
DETROIT FREE PRESS - 1943-12-22p11So in fact, Mr. Holland (19 years old at the time), did indeed, get a draft notice and did indeed fail to pass muster (his medical exam) because he probably (and truthfully) answered some questioner which asked if he had ever used Cannabis. HOWEVER, going back a few months prior we also find:
“EVADER ADMITS SMOKING DOPE TO FOIL TEST”
“A draft dodger who smoked marijuana cigarets so that he would flunk his physical examination, another who gave a wrong forwarding address and changed his name to escape service and three Jehovah Witnesses who failed to report for induction were given prison terms Tuesday by Federal Judge Arthur J. Lederle.
The three Jehovah Witnesses Roger H. Hasting, 23 years old, Of Port Huron; Edwin H. Semrau, 32, of 5828 Holcomb, and Clyde C. Wagner, 22, of 3463 Lemay, all were sentenced to five years with the court’s recommendation that they serve the maximum terms. They were found guilty by juries, which deliberated less than 11 minutes in the three trials, and were roundly lectured by Judge Lederie for their unpatriotic and undemocratic attitude.
Gad Sam Holland 19, of 8011 Riopelle, admitted that he had smoked marijuana ciggarets just before taking his physical examination. .Edward J. unnabeck, . . [more] . . .“
DETROIT FREE PRESS - 1943-10-06p12So it appears that Mr. Holland (who was black) had been involved in a Race Riot, just a couple of months before failing his Draft exam. A fact Mr. Anslinger conveniently failed to make mention of. But one that puts a whole new prospectuses on the whole matter. Not to mention the fact that it goes a long way to explain why Mr. Holland was so singled out.
“Gad S. Holland 19, now serving a ninety-day term in the Detroit House of Correction after being involved in the race riot last June, faked illness upon appearance for induction in April the indictment charged.”
But then again maybe we shouldn’t read too much into this, Gad Holland was only 19 years of age at the time and thus an unlikely culprit to have orchestrated a race riot of any kind. More likely, it just happened and he just got caught up in it. And given the state of race relations back then . . . . maybe the less said the better. But, be that as it may, the events surrounding (those not mentioned by Anslinger who was a racist) [1] , do go a long way to explain just why this case was so special to him.
[Case#MI16_Draft Dodger]
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FOOTNOTES:
[1]- http://antiquecannabisbook.com/chap1B/War-On-Blacks.htm
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