Rick Steves is the internationally-known travel writer who’s famous for his “Guide to Europe” series. He is also a longtime advisory board member of NORML. Following is the letter he has composed to every legislator in his home state of Washington to support marijuana decriminalization:
Dear Legislator,
I’d like to offer my view on SB 5615, which reclassifies possession of marijuana by adults to a civil infraction. I realize that the deadline for SB 5615 to receive a floor vote in the Senate was March 12, but I am looking forward to further consideration of this important bill when it carries over to the 2010 session.
For nearly a decade I’ve been a spokesperson for changing our “war on marijuana” to something more pragmatic, similar to the European model. I speak out publicly on this issue not because I’m “pro-drugs,” but because I believe (like most Europeans do) that the measure of a society’s drug policy should be in harm reduction rather than incarceration.
I want to be clear: smoking marijuana is bad for your health. I am not “pro-marijuana,” nor am I in favor of making it available to minors. And if anyone causes damage or danger while intoxicated on anything, I believe we should throw the book at them. But I do not believe that we should use our criminal justice system to address a public health issue, and as a matter of principle, I believe that the responsible adult recreational use of marijuana is a civil liberty. Apart from all that, it is clear that the existing “war on marijuana” is costing our society more than the ills brought on by marijuana—and there’s no sign that continuing this war will make any difference.
Some may worry that supporting SB 5615 might look “soft on drugs,” or that it will “send the wrong message” to our youth. But rather than “soft on drugs” or “hard on drugs,” I think this bill is smart on drugs: as the fiscal note points out, it would save $16 million in prosecution, jail, and court costs, plus generate $1 million in new revenue, $590,000 of which would be earmarked for underfunded drug treatment and prevention. Our nation spends roughly $10 billion a year arresting 873,000 people for marijuana (90% for simple possession), and we have 80,000 Americans in jail today for marijuana offenses. Even in my town of Edmonds, statistics show that roughly a quarter of all non-traffic misdemeanor arrests are marijuana-related. What do we have to show for all those arrests and tax dollars? Over 40% of Americans have tried marijuana. The message that our youth receive now is that our government exaggerates – or lies – when it comes to marijuana. That makes it really hard for parents and teachers to be convincing when it comes to talking about the dangers of other drugs.
While some Americans might fear that decriminalizing marijuana will lead to increased use and abuse, the track record in the Netherlands (where recreational marijuana offenses have not been prosecuted since 1976) demonstrates otherwise. By all government statistics, Americans consume roughly twice the pot per capita that the Dutch do. Meanwhile, in most of Europe, a joint causes about as much excitement as a can of beer. And after more than 30 years of not arresting pot smokers in the Netherlands, Dutch police recognize that use doesn’t increase appreciably—and they are generally thankful they don’t have to enforce a law they know brings more harm than the drug it’s designed to deal with.
The experience of the Netherlands is echoed in the twelve states that decriminalized over thirty years ago, shortly after Nixon’s National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse (the “Shafer Commission”) recommended decriminalizing personal possession and not-for-profit distribution of small amounts of marijuana. Use rates did not increase. Nor did they increase in Seattle after adult personal use of marijuana became the city’s lowest law enforcement priority in 2003.
Today’s war on marijuana is as illogical and ineffective as our prohibition against alcohol was in the 1930s. It took courageous people to finally stand up against a law that was bringing so much pain and violence to their society. When they finally repealed the laws against alcohol, no one was saying, “Booze is good.” Instead, they learned that you don’t stop people from drinking by making it a crime – you simply create worse problems for yourself. Today, we rely on regulation, prevention, and treatment to address alcohol’s use in our society.
I’ve been speaking publicly about marijuana reform for years now. I just gave a lecture last week to 2,000 people in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and they applauded when I explained my rationale for promoting the legalization of marijuana. My experiences advocating drug law reform have taught me that many Americans feel the same way, but—because marijuana is stigmatized in our society—are afraid to say so publicly. Frequently when I am interviewed about this on TV or the radio, as soon as the mic is off, the journalist says, “Thank you for speaking out on this.” I was recently recognized in Washington DC as the Lutheran social activist of the year when my church gave me its Wittenberg Award. The Senators and Members of Congress representing our state in Washington, DC, understand (and, I believe, respect) my take on this issue.
These experiences have inspired me to stand up and say we need to take the crime out of marijuana and treat it as a health issue. This is a civil rights issue, a credibility for parents and teachers issue, a respect for our police issue, and a matter of financial common sense.
I hope you will take 30 minutes to watch the complimentary copy of the documentary I hosted and co-wrote with the ACLU called “Marijuana: It’s Time for a Conversation” (www.marijuanaconversation.org). For my other essays and interviews on this issue, see the “About Rick Steves” corner at www.ricksteves.com, or simply Google or search YouTube for “Rick Steves marijuana.”
I know that it is complex to deal with this as a legislature and I thank you for your thoughtful service. As a caring citizen of our state, I am proud to bring a European sensitivity on this issue home. It’s time we reconsidered our costly and actually counter-productive war on marijuana. If I can be of any help to you as you wrestle with this, please feel free to give me a phone call.
Sincerely,
Rick Steves
