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That Time Richard Nixon Unknowingly Smuggled Cannabis into the United States

 Heyo! Sorry for the delay and my unintentional break. Yes, That Time... is moving to Mondays. Don't question it. Today, we're visiting a story from history that made me laugh when I first read about it. It will be a short one as there isn't much on this topic, but I wanted to write about it. Let's get into it!

Some backstory first for the two main players: Louis Armstrong and Richard Nixon. One is an American hero who deserves all my love and attention. The other was a president that I have very few nice things to say about.

Richard Nixon was the 37th President of the United States. He was president from 1969 until 1974 when he resigned following the infamous Watergate scandal. He was also previously the 36th Vice-President from 1953 until 1961. Like I said, I have very few nice things to say about him so this is all the background you're getting.

Louis Armstrong is one of my favorite artists, hands down. He is SO good. If you haven't listened to his music, I suggest just putting his Spotify artist page on shuffle. He is a singer and trumpet player. Most may know his most famous song, "What a Wonderful World". He is an absolute icon and I don't care what anyone says, I find his music timeless.

Armstrong had a fondness for cannabis when he was introduced to it in the mid-20s. He is credited as popularizing it among fellow jazz musicians in the 20s and 30s. In November 1930, Armstrong was arrested for smoking cannabis along with Vic Berton. They spent the night in jail.

In the late 1950s, the US government named Armstrong a Goodwill Ambassador. What is a Goodwill Ambassador? They were usually African-American artists who the US government sent on tours around the world to spread the ideals of American democracy.

In 1958, Armstrong had returned from a tour when instead of bypassing US customs, like most ambassadors were allowed to, he was told to join the customs line. Anxious about getting caught with what was in his bags, he was met by Nixon, Vice-President at the time, who offered to help him with his bags.

Of course, Armstrong accepted the offer as Nixon would not be searched. Unknowingly, Nixon smuggled 3 pounds of cannabis into the United States. Yes, the Vice-President of the United States of America smuggled the forbidden grass into the United States without knowing.

Now, I don't believe there is any actual evidence to this story as most of the sources I sought out were based on hearsay, but the idea of the story delighted me when it first came to my attention.

If there is another weird piece of history you want me to visit in this series, leave a comment below! You can find past That Time... posts here!

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