I certainly haven’t hid my love for Rick Steves as he helped legalize marijuana in Oregon, on his own dime, by traveling the state and sharing his perspective on cannabis. Steves has quickly become one of our greatest weapons in our fight to legalize marijuana as he is someone with a global perspective and he is respected by older, more conservative people, who are usually less likely to support legalization.
In the lead-up to Rick Steves speaking at the International Cannabis Business Conference in San Francisco on February 15th, Sfgate.com’s Smell the Truth blog has been publishing an extensive interview with Steves. In part one of the interview, Steves urged the cannabis industry to invest in reform. In part two, he discussed the fact that America is divided along racial and poverty lines in regard to our marijuana laws. In part three, he touched upon US international policies and the importance of California legalizing marijuana. Per Smell the Truth:
“That’s what got me involved in this — the international laws the US has written that requires all countries to lock up pot smokers or wage trade sanctions against everybody who doesn’t sign this treaty. It’s huge, and a horrible way to be part of the family of nations. It’s embarrassing. That’s going to be falling apart like mad in the next couple of years.
“That’s one of the reasons I’m so excited about California. California is among the biggest economic units in the world. When California goes, the US is going to follow I think.
“[The Single Convention] is not good. I think it’s just a matter of time before Congress or the President will have the political balls to say what they really think.”
I encourage everyone to share interviews and stories about Rick Steves. He has already helped sway many voters and he will continue to be very influential. He is a self-made, successful business person that can’t be stereotyped or disparaged. If you can make it to San Francisco in February, you should get tickets to the International Cannabis Business Conference soon as early bird tickets end this Friday. Steves will be sharing the stage with other influential reformers like Dr. Carl Hart, Ethan Nadelmann and Steve DeAngelo.
