Death and state funeral of Gerald Ford grandchildren came to the museum that night and greeted mourners for several hours. Shortly after noon on January 3, Ford's body was removed from the museum and taken by motorcade to Grace Episcopal Church in East Grand Rapids, where a private funeral service was conducted Thousands of people lined the entire motorcade route to the church. During the service, eulogies were delivered by Donald Rumsfeld (President Ford's White House Chief of Staff and Secretary of Defense), former President Jimmy Carter, Richard Norton Smith (former Director of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum and a close personal friend of
Cannabis policy of the Gerald Ford administration Cannabis policy of the Gerald Ford administration During the administration of American President Gerald Ford (1974–1977), the president moderated the strict anti-cannabis stance of his predecessor, resigned president Richard Nixon, though this did not result in any significant weakening of federal cannabis policy. In contrast with Nixon's harsh policies, Ford advocated instead reducing the harms associated with drug use. Ford struck a more conciliatory tone, identifying drug users as victims of traffickers, rather than criminals. Ford retained White House "Drug Czar" Robert DuPont, originally appointed by Nixon. Unlike Nixon, Ford did not support the formation of an office of drug