RICK STEVES LIGHTS UP MARIJUANA CONVERSATION

When television host and travel writer Rick Steves produced a
televised "infomercial" out of his own pocket last year, he thought -
much like travel - he could get viewers thinking about one of the
issues he's passionate about: Decriminalizing marijuana.

Local television stations, such as KING, KOMO and KIRO, refused to
broadcast the infomercial or offered 1 a.m. Sunday broadcast times.

"If you care about democracy and it's considered courageous to talk
about a law that is counter-productive, we've got problems," Steves said.

Host to a sold-out crowd Feb. 4 at the Kirkland Performance Center,
Steves and several other speakers discussed the history of marijuana
laws and their effects for the program "Marijuana: It's Time For a
Conversation."

He took the opportunity to criticize local media companies as failing
to foster a dialogue on the issue, claiming the law is more costly
than the drug problem. Steves did acknowledge, however, an advantage
in campaigning for the issue.

"Nobody can fire me, basically," he said amid a roar of laughter.

Steves screened the station-censored 30-minute infomercial, which was
filmed at KOMO's Seattle studios, detailing marijuana's emergence as
a controlled substance after the U.S. prohibition on alcohol was
lifted. The event was co-hosted by the American Civil Liberties
Union's director of drug policy, Alison Holcomb, and included
speakers State Rep. Roger Goodman (D-Kirkland), Seattle City
Councilman Nick Licata and retired Whatcom Superior Court Judge David Nichols.

Washington State Institute for Public Policy estimates that the state
could save $7.6 million a year if the law were changed, based on the
11,553 misdemeanor arrests made in 2007. The heavy influx, said local
attorney Ken Davidson of Davison, Czeisler and Kilpatric, could be
clogging up the courts. He asked the panel of speakers if using the
criminal justice system was an appropriate use of controlling the drug.

"To file a lawsuit with Superior Court, your trial date is 18 months
off," Davidson noted. "Justice delayed is often justice denied."

Steves and others also said the mandatory jail time for misdemeanor
possession was in part prompting the need for a proposed regional
jail. According to a 2006 Jail Action Group (JAG) study, about 3
percent of King County misdemeanor inmates were jailed on drug-related charges.

Steves urged the audience to contact their local legislators and
council members and talk to them about the issue.

"If I can inspire you to talk about marijuana in polite company,
we're all going to get somewhere," he said.

More on marijuana

Possession of 40 grams of marijuana (a little over an ounce) or less
in Washington state is a misdemeanor offense that carries a mandatory
minimum sentence of one day in jail and a fine of $250 for the first
offense. Any amount over that is a felony, which could result in up
to a five-year jail term and a $10,000 fine.

In the state legislature, legislation on decriminalizing marijauna is
working its way through both the House and Senate. Sen. Jeanne
Kohl-Welles (D-Seattle) introduced a bill scheduled for a committee
hearing this week. The proposed change would reclassify possession of
40 grams of marijuana or less to a civil infraction, subject to a $100 fine.

In September 2003, Seattle voters passed an initiative to relax
enforcement of marijuana possession laws, making it the police
department's lowest priority.