Rick Steves, the travel guru who was a key supporter of Washington’s recreational marijuana law in 2012, arrives in Oregon Tuesday to kick off a 9-stop tour promoting the campaign to legalize pot.
Steves recently wrote a commentary on Measure 91, which would legalize marijuana for anyone 21 and older, calling the proposal a “smart law” designed to address the reality of marijuana use.
“Marijuana is a drug,” wrote Steves, who sits on the board of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. “It’s not good for you. It can be addictive. But marijuana is here to stay. No amount of wishing will bring us a utopian “drug-free society.”
On his website, Steves explains that running his own business has given him freedom to address his personal views of marijuana and drug policy in general without fear of being fired.
“When it comes to America’s prohibition on marijuana, I can consider lessons learned from my travels and say what I really believe when I’m back home,” he writes.
Last year, the Marijuana Policy Project named Steves one of the 50 most influential marijuana consumers.
In this 2013 interview with High Times, Steves said he does not consider himself a proponent of marijuana.
“I just believe that if somebody wants to smoke it, that’s their right,” he said.
I’m sitting down with Steves before his first event this afternoon. Got questions you’d like me to ask? Leave them in the comments section below.
— Noelle Crombie
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