Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
TV travel guide Rick Steves is best-known for his mild-mannered jaunts across Europe, but he traveled to Chicago to speak out Tuesday on a favorite side project: legalizing marijuana.
"This is not a pro-pot movement. This is an anti-prohibition movement," Steves said at a press conference Tuesday morning in Chicago, where he appeared with Illinois lawmakers who are pushing a state legalization bill.
Steves argued that those who want to smoke marijuana are already doing so, and so it should be taxed and regulated rather than traded on the underground market.
He acknowledged cannabis is a drug, saying, "It's not good for you. It can be abused." But he says laws that prohibit it tend to be unfairly applied to the poor and people of color.
Steves, who advocates packing light and sharing memorable experiences with locals, also has long backed legalizing recreational pot.
He supported the legalization of cannabis in 2012 in his home state of Washington, is a board member for the pro-marijuana group NORML and has spoken around the country on the topic, arguing that criminalizing the drug causes more problems than it solves.
In Chicago, Steves was also scheduled to speak Tuesday before a state Senate committee hearing about the claimed financial windfall Illinois could reap from taxing sales of the drug. The sponsors of the legalization bill, Sen. Heather Steans and Rep. Kelly Cassidy, both Democrats from Chicago said legal marijuana could generate hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue.
Steves has also argued that making marijuana possession a crime fuels violent drug wars among dealers.
He has pointed to Europe for examples of where he said decriminalization has worked. He noted the Netherlands, where he has said pot use has generally been lower than the U.S. despite permissive laws. And in Portugal, he has said, drug use didn't increase much after possession was decriminalized and treatment options expanded.
Steves, known for his plain-spoken approach to broadening perspectives through travel, has a "Rick Steves' Europe" show on PBS, writes a column syndicated by Tribune Content Agency and runs his own European travel business.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: TV travel guide Rick Steves speaks out for legal marijuana in Illinois - Chicago Tribune
Author: Robert McCoppin
Contact: Chicago Tribune contacts - Chicago Tribune
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Website: Chicago Tribune: Chicago breaking news, sports, business, entertainment, weather and traffic
"This is not a pro-pot movement. This is an anti-prohibition movement," Steves said at a press conference Tuesday morning in Chicago, where he appeared with Illinois lawmakers who are pushing a state legalization bill.
Steves argued that those who want to smoke marijuana are already doing so, and so it should be taxed and regulated rather than traded on the underground market.
He acknowledged cannabis is a drug, saying, "It's not good for you. It can be abused." But he says laws that prohibit it tend to be unfairly applied to the poor and people of color.
Steves, who advocates packing light and sharing memorable experiences with locals, also has long backed legalizing recreational pot.
He supported the legalization of cannabis in 2012 in his home state of Washington, is a board member for the pro-marijuana group NORML and has spoken around the country on the topic, arguing that criminalizing the drug causes more problems than it solves.
In Chicago, Steves was also scheduled to speak Tuesday before a state Senate committee hearing about the claimed financial windfall Illinois could reap from taxing sales of the drug. The sponsors of the legalization bill, Sen. Heather Steans and Rep. Kelly Cassidy, both Democrats from Chicago said legal marijuana could generate hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue.
Steves has also argued that making marijuana possession a crime fuels violent drug wars among dealers.
He has pointed to Europe for examples of where he said decriminalization has worked. He noted the Netherlands, where he has said pot use has generally been lower than the U.S. despite permissive laws. And in Portugal, he has said, drug use didn't increase much after possession was decriminalized and treatment options expanded.
Steves, known for his plain-spoken approach to broadening perspectives through travel, has a "Rick Steves' Europe" show on PBS, writes a column syndicated by Tribune Content Agency and runs his own European travel business.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: TV travel guide Rick Steves speaks out for legal marijuana in Illinois - Chicago Tribune
Author: Robert McCoppin
Contact: Chicago Tribune contacts - Chicago Tribune
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Website: Chicago Tribune: Chicago breaking news, sports, business, entertainment, weather and traffic
