Rick Steves Insists that the U.S. Should Legalize Cannabis

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]I[/dropcap]n an interview with Hill.TV, travel guru and television personality Rick Steves called for the U.S. to stop wasting time and legalize cannabis at the federal level. Recently Steves took a tour of Capitol Hill to chat with lawmakers and cannabis advocates.

“It’s clear it’s time for the federal government to recognize that we need to stop the prohibition against marijuana,” Steves told Hill.TV. Steves pointed out that for many years the majority of Americans indicated in polls that they are supportive of legalization.

The travel guru is taking it upon himself to use his leverage as a television host to make a difference. Steves is now formally a board member at the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). NORML’s sole purpose is to push forward local and national legislation that makes cannabis more accessible. In addition, Steves lobbied in Washington State, helping to successfully legalize recreational cannabis for adults 21 and over.

Steves doesn’t claim that cannabis is ideal in every situation. “Marijuana is a drug, it needs to be taken seriously and highly regulated,” he added. “It can be abused, it needs to be kept out of the reach of children. And the smartest way to do that is to take it out of the black market and regulate it.”

In another recent interview, Steves joined Rep. Earl Blumenauer to talk to Roll Call about cannabis reform. There, he said that the choices are either to tolerate alternative lifestyles, or to “build more prisons.”

In the past, Steves also vocally supported cannabis reform in Maine and Illinois, among other places. On Steves’ own website, he posts videos that say it’s time for a new approach to cannabis. His most recent trek through Capitol Hill is bound to spark up the conversation yet again.