RICK STEVES BRINGS MARIJUANA CONVERSATION TO KPC FEB. 4

Public television and radio show host Rick Steves, well-known for his
travel tips and anecdotes from the "Rick Steves' Europe" program,
will visit the Kirkland Performance Center Feb. 4. The topic,
however, might not be the same trip you were thinking about.

Screening his latest project, ""Marijuana: It's Time for a
Conversation", Steves will present a short film on the popular and
commonly illegal drug - also known by it's latin nomenclature
Cannabis sativa or slang terms such as weed, pot or ganja. His
frequent travels abroad and observing how the use of marijuana was
tolerated led Steves to become an outspoken critic of federal drug
policies in recent years. The film will be followed by his own
prepared remarks, plus one or two other speakers and a question and
answer period.

According to the Web site marijuanaconversation.org - prominently
featuring Steves and maintained by the American Civil Liberties Union
(ACLU) - the discussion and information awareness campaign is
oriented towards reconsidering the prohibition on the trade and use
of marijuana.

Writing in a Seattle Times guest column on Mar. 18 last year, Steves
said he believes the consequences are often totally disproportionate
to whatever societal risk or danger marijuana use may pose."Our
criminal-justice system wastes time and resources with these
low-level marijuana-possession cases while half our violent crimes go
unsolved," he wrote.

According to 2007 FBI statistics, over 775,000 people were arrested
in the US for simple possession of marijuana, a record number. The
number exceeds those arrested for violent crime at 597,447. State
Representative Roger Goodman (D-Kirkland), a leading critic of US
federal policy and the so-called "War on Drugs", will join Steves at
the KPC and will outline his efforts in Olympia to reform
recreational drug policies in the state. The pair have hosted the
public forum in a variety of locations throughout the state,
including Spokane, Bellingham and Seattle.

"I'm really not surprised at the level of interest in this," he said.
"We've reached a tipping point. The public understands that the
current policies aren't working. We need to get the marijuana out of
schools, off the streets and protect our children better ... We need
a rational, regulatory regime."

State residents have proven open to drug policy changes in the past.
In 1998, voters passed Initiative 682 which allowed residents to use
marijuana for medicinal purposes with a doctors prescription. A valid
patient or provider "may possess a total of no more than twenty-four
ounces of usable marijuana, and no more than fifteen plants."
Unlawful possession of 40 grams or less of marijuana in Washington
State is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 90 days in jail, a
maximum $1000 fine and could have their driver's license suspended
for one year.

The Kirkland Performance Center is located at 350 Kirkland Avenue.
Due to Steve's celebrity, the KPC and organizers are offering free
tickets for the Feb. 4 event for a limited time on a first come,
first-served basis through Jan. 26. To register for tickets, visit
the program's Website or call 206-624-2184.