Rick Steves tells Salem why marijuana should be legal

Not being much of a traveller, I'm kind of ashamed to admit that I'd never heard of Rick Steves before learning he was touring Oregon to talk about "Travel As a Political Act: Ending Marijuana Prohibition in Oregon." 

Steves wrote a book with that title, Travel As a Political Act. His interest in making marijuana legal comes partly from his co-sponsorship of Washington state's successful 2012 ballot legalization measure.

Last night my wife and were part of a packed house, 300 people or so, in downtown Salem's Grand Theatre. This photo was taken before the event started. Eventually the balcony area and lower level were both almost filled.

It was pleasing to see way more people here than attended any of the misleadingly-named Oregon Marijuana Education Tour meetings featuring anti-marijuana legalization zealot Kevin Sabet. Sabet doesn't tell the truth about cannabis, while Steves was pleasingly honest, humorous, and candid.

Steves' 90 minute or so presentation started off on the travel as a political act theme. He said that travel opens our eyes, showing Americans that just as we think the United States is the greatest country in the world, so do people all over think their country is the best. 

Europe is his main travel focus. Steves talked about how Europeans are much more advanced that we are in many areas -- such as high speed trains, social equality, food appreciation, quality of life, and, yes, drug policies.

I recall him saying that in Belgium, or wherever, on a midweek afternoon he saw a bunch of middle-aged guys in a large rowboat drinking beer, chatting, having fun. From a bridge he yells, “What are you doing? Is this part of a festival or something, a special event?”

“No,” one yelled back. “It’s just Wednesday. We take off work and do this every week at this time.”

Steves went on to say that Europe produces the same economic output as the United States with 400 million people rather than our 300 million. So they are willing to be 25% or so less wealthy in order to have time and the opportunity to enjoy life more.

That's a tradeoff most in Europe are happy to make, while Americans overwork themselves with fewer vacations, fewer benefits, longer work hours, and more stress.

He gave several examples of how Europeans are much less moralistic than we are, which leads to wiser social policies. We lead the world in imprisoning people, often for victimless crimes like drug use. Europe helps drug users break their habit through education and other means, rather than viewing them as moral failures.

Likewise, he showed photos of Amsterdam's "red light" district where prostitution is regulated instead of being driven underground where a woman has to call her pimp if a customer gets abusive, not a police officer. 

 

 

Steves was equally entertaining and persuasive when he got to the Yes on 91 part of his talk. You can get a good feel for his message via an Oregonian interview with him.
Download Rick Steves campaigns for marijuana legalization in Oregon: Q&A | OregonLive.com

Here's some excerpts:

 

Steves, 59, of Edmonds, Wash., argued that marijuana legalization is a civil liberties issue that other countries have successfully grappled with. He pointed to the Netherlands' experience with pot as a prime example, saying that country's relatively liberal marijuana laws have not resulted in increased consumption. 

 

..."I just feel very strongly that the laws that are on the books right now are counter productive. They are expensive. They are racist. They are based on fear and misinformation. This is not just my hunch. A lot of it might be counterintuitive but my experience is based on talking to people who have been dealing with the same challenges in other countries for the last two decades.

 

In Europe my friends tell me a society has to make a choice: tolerate alternative lifestyles or build more prisons. And they always follow up that with this annoying comment that Americans lock up 10 times as many people per capita as they do. They say, 'You guys are either inherently more criminal or there is something screwy about your laws.'

...As far as my business goes, I have been talking about this quite candidly for a long, long time. Every once in a while somebody is going to say, 'I know what you think about marijuana and I am not going to buy your guidebooks. I am not going to take your tours.'

All I can think is Europe is going to be more interesting and fun without you."

I scored a free lawn sign on my way in. It's now proudly displayed at the end of our driveway. We live in a pretty conservative rural south Salem neighborhood.

 

But Steves made clear that legalizing marijuana isn't an R vs. D or conservative vs. liberal thing. It is a common sense vs. illogic thing. Also, a liberty vs. control thing. From the Oregonian piece, here's some lines that Steves also used last night:

I have smoked very casually ever since I was a student.

It’s not a big deal in my life. I just really believe in civil liberties. I am a tax-paying, kid-raising, church-going, hard-working American citizen.

If I work hard all day long and I want to go home and in the privacy of my own living room and smoke a joint and just stare at the fireplace for three hours, that is my civil liberty.