World Traveler Rick Steves Visited Maine in Support of Recreational Cannabis

Rick Steves is a celebrity known for his travels around Europe. The American television personality is the host of the series Rick Steves’ Europe, and he’s also a successful author. Lately he’s been gaining a different type of celebrity status in the cannabis community as a huge supporter of Maine’s Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol also known as Yes on 1. To date, he is the biggest individual donor the campaign.

On Monday, Steves visited Maine to show his support for legalizing cannabis for recreational purposes. His visit was at the University of New England’s WCHP Lecture Hall in Parker Pavilion in Portland, Maine. According to Press Herald, while at the Yes on 1 campaign office on Monday, Steves shared his support for legalizing cannabis. “I’m looking at the big picture,” Steves said. “This is a racist, expensive, nonproductive law based on reefer madness propaganda. This [initiative] is not pro-pot. This is smart policy.”

The Campaign Manager for Yes on 1, David Boyer, shared his enthusiasm about Steves’ visit in a press release. “We are excited that Rick Steves has come to our state to promote the common sense policy of regulating and taxing marijuana,” Boyer said. “Legalization is working in Colorado and Washington, and it will work here in Maine. Yes on 1 will generate millions in new tax revenue and free up law enforcement to focus on serious and violent crime.”

The Maine Marijuana Legalization Measure is also known as Question 1. It is set to appear on the November ballot. If passed, Question 1 would legalize cannabis in the state for adults ages 21 and over. The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry would be responsible for regulating and taxing the state’s recreational cannabis industry.