NPR: Rick Steves Has a Budget Trip for You

Rick Steves Has a Budget Trip for You

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Every so often, someone writes an opinion piece in a major daily trotting out all the eminently reasonable arguments for decriminalizing recreational drugs. Today, the L.A. Times has an op-ed entitled "Europe: Curing, not punishing, addicts," written by . . . Rick Steves.

Rick Steves? The dweeby, affable TV travel guy with helmet-hair, the one who's been making Europe safe for PBS viewers for close to two decades?

Turns out he's been spending more time in Amsterdam than we thought. Some quick Googling located this video of Steves speaking at a gathering of NORML, a pro-legalization group, in 2005. Quote:

"You can take a trip with your marijuana or you can take a trip with your passport. And, um, it's kind of fun taking a trip without having to travel. Just put me in a nice location with a National Geographic and a joint and I'm climbing Mount Everest."

--Ilya Marritz

Laura Conaway

2:10 PM ET | 10-12-2007 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

Ha! That headline--nice.

Sent by Tobey | 7:33 AM ET | 10-13-2007

Rick is one of many respected community members who sit on the board of NORML. Many people serving years in prison for MJ were also respected members of the community. Were are all the victems ravished by the insideous drug MJ if we have to imprision so many? Have the law enforcement agencies solved all the crimes where a victem exists?

Sent by Robert H. | 11:50 PM ET | 11-19-2007

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