RICK STEVES LIGHTS UP THE MARIJUANA CONVERSATION

Only days after a photo surfaced of Olympic champion swimmer Michael
Phelps smoking marijuana, television host Rick Steves criticized the
press for giving the athlete a hard time.

In his quest to decriminalize marijuana, Steves has criticized local
media as well.

The travel writer produced a televised "infomercial" out of his own
pocket last year to get viewers thinking about the issue, but local
television stations, such as KING, KOMO and KIRO refused to broadcast
it 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," he said.

Host to a sold-out crowd Feb. 4 at the Kirkland Performance Center,
Steves and other speakers such as State Rep. Roger Goodman
(D-Kirkland) discussed the history of marijuana laws and their
effects for the "Marijuana: It's time for a Conversation" program.

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

"Nobody can fire me, basically," he said amidst 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.

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 method to control 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, which may be built in the Kingsgate area. According to a 2006
Jail Action Group (JAG) study, about 3 percent of King County
misdemeanor inmates were jailed on drug-related charges.

Former director of the King County Bar Association's Drug Policy
Initiative, Goodman supports a full legalization of regulated
quantities of marijuana as a "soft" drug.

"We've made a lot of progress," he said of legislative efforts to
decriminalize marijuana, including his work with national bar
associations, urging them to set up task forces. "Let's not lock
people up so much, let's provide more treatment opportunities for
those who are in trouble. And frankly, let's leave a bunch of people alone."

Steves urged the audience to contact their local legislators and
councilmembers 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.

Seated in the audience next to Sammamish Mayor Don Gerend and several
Issaquah Councilmembers, Deputy Mayor Joan McBride said she was
surprised by some of the presentation's claims, such as the stiff
penalties for posession. 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 5-year jail term and a $10,000 fine.

"I'm information gathering right now," McBride said. "I just put in a
call to the chief of police and would like to sit down and talk to him."

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.

On the enforcement side, Kirkland Police Lt. Bradley Gilmore said the
department hasn't "noticed an upswing" of illegal marijuana use.
"Nothing out of the ordinary."

The KPD made over 200 arrests for marijuana possession last year,
making up the majority of local misdemeanor drug arrests. Police have
also assigned a detective to serve full-time with the Eastside Drug
Task Force (ENTF), a regional drug enforcement initiative.

Light up the marijuana conversation

Contact Rep. Roger Goodman of Kirkland's 45th Legislative District by
sending him a letter to: 320 John L. O'Brien Building, PO Box 40600,
Olympia, WA 98504-0600 or by calling him at 360-786-7878. You can
also find him online on his official Legislative Web page.