STEVES, ACLU JOIN FORCES FOR POT LAW REFORM

TV Show to Call for Serious Talk on Issue

Travel guru Rick Steves wants America to take a cue from Europe and
start talking seriously about marijuana.

Too many lives, according to Steves, are ruined by criminal penalties
associated with pot possession, and too much law enforcement and too
many court resources are tied up focusing on cannabis as a legal
problem instead of a health issue.

Steves, who built his Edmonds travel business into a nationally known
television show with travel books and tours, is now taking his
marijuana message to the masses, too.

Wednesday, together with the American Civil Liberties Union of
Washington, Steves introduced a half-hour infomercial-style program
he hosts called "Marijuana: It's Time for a Conversation." The
program is available on Comcast on Demand, and promoters hope it will
soon debut on local television stations.

Steves is a board member for the National Organization for the Reform
of Marijuana Laws and has spoken openly in support of decriminalizing
marijuana for five years, including during Seattle's annual Hempfest.

"Our government's war on drugs sounds very tough and results-driven,
but all it really succeeds at is being enormously expensive, tearing
families apart and treating nonconformists as criminals," said
Steves. He compared marijuana laws to alcohol prohibition in the
1920s and urged differentiating between soft and hard drugs.

The campaign kicks off in the Puget Sound area, where Steves and the
ACLU expect it will find a receptive audience. In 2003, Seattle
voters overwhelmingly supported an initiative that made arrests and
prosecution for personal marijuana use the lowest law enforcement priority.

"Washington state has a strong history of being on the leading edge
of this issue, it is a good testing ground for the campaign," said
Alison Chinn Holcomb, director of the Marijuana Education Project for
the Washington ACLU.

Nationally, $7.5 billion is spent annually for marijuana law
enforcement, with 830,000 arrested each year, according to ACLU
research. In Washington, marijuana possession is a misdemeanor and
carries a minimum sentence of one day in jail, and a $250 fine for
the first offense.

"Is it fair to impose these penalties on adults who want to use
marijuana in the privacy of their homes?" Steves asked. "In Europe,
people smoke marijuana, and nobody is facing hard time. We just want
to talk about new policies."