TRAVEL WRITER RICK STEVES JOINS ACLU IN TACKLING ISSUE OF MARIJUANA LAWS

Travel writer Rick Steves and the American Civil Liberties Union of
Washington have formed an unlikely partnership to tackle a topic they
call the equivalent of the alcohol-prohibition laws of the 1920s --
the criminalization of marijuana.

Steves, who five years ago openly admitted to his own use of
marijuana while in Europe, says he's not "pro marijuana" but in favor
of discussing the laws that affect the 830,000 Americans who are
arrested annually under existing marijuana laws. About 90 percent of
the arrests are for possession.

Because the arrests disproportionately affect minorities and can have
severe consequences for possessing as little as 40 grams (roughly the
equivalent of two packs of cigarettes), the state ACLU received
funding from the organization's national headquarters to create an
informational program which they hope will be aired on television
stations and the Internet.

Washington was considered a good state to launch a campaign to
discuss marijuana laws because it's been on the cutting edge of drug
legislation, having approved a law allowing medical marijuana use in 1998.

"We need the understanding to go beyond 'hard' or 'soft' on drugs and
find a policy that is smart on drugs," Steves said. The existing drug
policy is causing more problems than it solves, he said.

Some $7.5 billion is spent annually for marijuana law enforcement
nationally. The arrests clog the courts and criminal-justice system,
diverting resources from more serious crimes, according to the ACLU study.