First, the 1956 Boggs-Daniel Narcotics went into effect to great fanfare in June 1957-- 3 months BEFORE the 1956 Commission meeting. Why would scores of wiseguys travel across the country all over again, less than year later, to talk about drugs again when the issue had already been in the news in the summer of 1956?
Not saying you are wrong, but just to clarify...the Narcotic Control Act and the Boggs Act are two different promulgations of law.
Yes, I should be more precise--let's just call it by its official name: the Narcotics Control Act of 1956 (Sen. Daniel was the chief sponsor of the 1956 amendments to the earlier statute sponsored by Cong. Boggs).
The Narcotics Control Act of 1956 was passed to great fanfare in the summer of 1956. Here's a New York Times article from July 11, 1956:
"Now that Congress has passed and sent to the President a bill drastically increasing the penalties for illegal sale and possession of narcotics-- even up to and including the death penalty--we urge that it devote equal attention to the other side of the coin: medical treatment and rehabilitation procedures."
Now, the regular Commission meeting took place in October 1956. So did the July 1956 Act somehow slips their minds before the October 1956 Commission meeting?
Remember, it's not so easy to assemble these national meeting. They had no idea they'd have to reassemble again in 1957 after the Anastasia hit.
If a ban on narcotics was so important, why did they seemingly skip it at the October 1956 Commission meeting?
