Best-selling travel author and television personality Rick Steves will discuss the strategies that are legalizing marijuana in the U.S.; part of his first-ever appearance at International Cannabis Business Conference in San Francisco Feb. 15 and 16.
The host of American Public Radio's Rick Steves' Europe is among the most mainstream advocates for cannabis law reform. Traveling the world set him on a path to advocacy, he said. Steves co-sponsored New Approach Washington's 2012 initiative to legalize tax and regulate marijuana in Washington State, and toured Oregon this year speaking in favor of that state's ultimately successful tax and regulate effort.
Amid another hectic day of travel work this December, Steves chatted with Smell the Truth on canna-business, the politics of reform and what traveling has taught him about cannabis policy in America and the world.
Smell the Truth: You're speaking in San Francisco in February to an audience of businesspeople either in the cannabis industry or looking to get into it. Are you going to be giving your, 'I believe high is a place you should be allowed to visit' talk?
Rick Steves: The one I do at Hempfest? No, I'm going to do more of a drug policy reform for insiders talk. I'm not going to be talking to people that need to learn, but that are already enthusiastic about cannabis. I want to talk about the broader issues that resonate with the general public and how insiders should be tuned in to that, and the behind-the-scenes moves going on in drug policy reform around the country.
StT: A theme that emerged from the most recent Las Vegas canna-business conference was activists irritated capitalists weren't ponying up for the reform from which they hope to profit. Thoughts?
Steves: I've stayed out of all of the money-making end of cannabis. I'm just in it for civil liberties and racial justice and public safety and commons sense – that kind of stuff.
I don't want to be pro or con medical or retail sales, or any of that kind of stuff. I just want to make it legal, taxed and regulated.
StT: Leading critics of pot law reform love to intone "Big Marijuana" is the real threat here, not somebody smoking a joint. Is the commercialization of cannabis a liability to the reform movement at this point?
Steves: Ah, yes. I mean, I just think it is. But you can't fight that. Big business, free enterprise, greed – it's the American way. So you can't legalize marijuana and not have it legal.
I wish we could all just grow two plants on our windowsill and share them with each other, but that's not going to work that way. I'm out of the fray there. I'm sure there was lots of cannabis people that wish I was all for the investors and stuff. I'm just agnostic on it. I just want to stop locking people up for smoking pot. People can run with it after that. ... It's already a huge black market economy. I just think it makes sense to regulate it, tax it, and stop enriching and empowering gangs and organized crime. ... I believe the truth will prevail – it just takes patience, smartness and consistency as far as fighting this war on marijuana. We're making huge strides and I think we're exceeding most insiders' expectations. Everything is working together as we raise awareness.
You don't need to be pro or anti-marijuana – it's just a smarter way to have drug policy. That's what I intend to get across across. It's not that we're hard on drugs or soft on drugs, but that we can be smart on drugs. In Washington and Colorado we're innovating, so it's not always a pretty picture as we figure out how to legalize, tax and regulate, but we're making progress in ways nobody has ever attempted. It's easy to complain about it, but I'd rather have people complaining about too much taxes on their pot than people going to jail.
StT: Are you a betting man? Can California legalize it in 2016?
Steves: Depends on who writes the law. If you have a pro-pot law, it's not going to work, you know? You need a public safety law that respects the concerns of most people that don't smoke pot. That's just a pragmatic thing. I'm not saying that's right – that's just reality. I mean, my record is 2- 0. We legalized in Washington and we legalized in Oregon and we needed every bit of common sense pragmatism and respect for people that oppose us that we could. And we're credible. We're not scary.
News Moderator: Shandar @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: SFGate Blog Directory - SFGate
Author: David Downs
Contact: Smell the Truth »
Website: Smell the Truth » Travel writer Rick Steves? insider tips on marijuana legalization
The host of American Public Radio's Rick Steves' Europe is among the most mainstream advocates for cannabis law reform. Traveling the world set him on a path to advocacy, he said. Steves co-sponsored New Approach Washington's 2012 initiative to legalize tax and regulate marijuana in Washington State, and toured Oregon this year speaking in favor of that state's ultimately successful tax and regulate effort.
Amid another hectic day of travel work this December, Steves chatted with Smell the Truth on canna-business, the politics of reform and what traveling has taught him about cannabis policy in America and the world.
Smell the Truth: You're speaking in San Francisco in February to an audience of businesspeople either in the cannabis industry or looking to get into it. Are you going to be giving your, 'I believe high is a place you should be allowed to visit' talk?
Rick Steves: The one I do at Hempfest? No, I'm going to do more of a drug policy reform for insiders talk. I'm not going to be talking to people that need to learn, but that are already enthusiastic about cannabis. I want to talk about the broader issues that resonate with the general public and how insiders should be tuned in to that, and the behind-the-scenes moves going on in drug policy reform around the country.
StT: A theme that emerged from the most recent Las Vegas canna-business conference was activists irritated capitalists weren't ponying up for the reform from which they hope to profit. Thoughts?
Steves: I've stayed out of all of the money-making end of cannabis. I'm just in it for civil liberties and racial justice and public safety and commons sense – that kind of stuff.
I don't want to be pro or con medical or retail sales, or any of that kind of stuff. I just want to make it legal, taxed and regulated.
StT: Leading critics of pot law reform love to intone "Big Marijuana" is the real threat here, not somebody smoking a joint. Is the commercialization of cannabis a liability to the reform movement at this point?
Steves: Ah, yes. I mean, I just think it is. But you can't fight that. Big business, free enterprise, greed – it's the American way. So you can't legalize marijuana and not have it legal.
I wish we could all just grow two plants on our windowsill and share them with each other, but that's not going to work that way. I'm out of the fray there. I'm sure there was lots of cannabis people that wish I was all for the investors and stuff. I'm just agnostic on it. I just want to stop locking people up for smoking pot. People can run with it after that. ... It's already a huge black market economy. I just think it makes sense to regulate it, tax it, and stop enriching and empowering gangs and organized crime. ... I believe the truth will prevail – it just takes patience, smartness and consistency as far as fighting this war on marijuana. We're making huge strides and I think we're exceeding most insiders' expectations. Everything is working together as we raise awareness.
You don't need to be pro or anti-marijuana – it's just a smarter way to have drug policy. That's what I intend to get across across. It's not that we're hard on drugs or soft on drugs, but that we can be smart on drugs. In Washington and Colorado we're innovating, so it's not always a pretty picture as we figure out how to legalize, tax and regulate, but we're making progress in ways nobody has ever attempted. It's easy to complain about it, but I'd rather have people complaining about too much taxes on their pot than people going to jail.
StT: Are you a betting man? Can California legalize it in 2016?
Steves: Depends on who writes the law. If you have a pro-pot law, it's not going to work, you know? You need a public safety law that respects the concerns of most people that don't smoke pot. That's just a pragmatic thing. I'm not saying that's right – that's just reality. I mean, my record is 2- 0. We legalized in Washington and we legalized in Oregon and we needed every bit of common sense pragmatism and respect for people that oppose us that we could. And we're credible. We're not scary.
News Moderator: Shandar @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: SFGate Blog Directory - SFGate
Author: David Downs
Contact: Smell the Truth »
Website: Smell the Truth » Travel writer Rick Steves? insider tips on marijuana legalization
