Edmonds-based travel expert Rick Steves wants to give Americans a little dose of European drug policy this weekend.
The best-selling author, Herald columnist and public television star is scheduled to take the main stage at Seattle’s Hempfest today and Sunday, where he will talk about Europe’s approach to fighting drug addiction.
Organizers of the free political rally against America’s laws criminalizing cannabis say they are expecting a crowd of 80,000 to 100,000 people.
Steves’ squeaky-clean image stands in stark contrast to someone you might expect to be drawn to a public pro-pot rally.
“That’s why he is interested in participating in Hempfest, to break those uninformed stereotypes,” said his publicist, Ashley Southwick.
The respected head of a $30 million travel empire, which includes guide books, a tour company and a popular public television show, has said he still smokes marijuana.
He said treatment for drug addiction is far more effective than criminalization, and argues that American courts and prisons are unnecessarily clogged with nonviolent drug offenders.
While he said he does not advocate the legalization of hard drugs, Steves does believe marijuana should be treated like alcohol or tobacco.
“I’ve studied the European Union’s drug policy pages, and – while America tends to treat drug use as a moral and legal issue – the goal in Europe is simple: pragmatic harm reduction, starting with the premise that drug addiction is an illness, not a crime,” he stated in a press release.
Steves hosts, writes and produces the popular public television series “Rick Steves’ Europe,” authors more than 30 European travel books, hosts the public radio program “Travel with Rick Steves,” and operates an extensive European tour company.
He is also an active member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and a board member of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.
In 2005, he and his wife, Anne, bought a 24-unit apartment building in Lynnwood, which they turned over to the YWCA to house homeless mothers.
Reporter David Chircop: 425-339-3429 or dchircop@heraldnet.com.
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