The Rest of the World and Us - Rick Steves and Measure 3

by Jacques Harvieux
jacquesthejock@gmail.com

Last Friday national travel host celebrity, activist, and philanthropist Rick Steves paid a visit to North Dakota in order to show his support and to help educate more people on Measure 3 and the coming election in November.

“Guidebook author and travel TV host Rick Steves is America's most respected authority on European travel. Rick took his first trip to Europe in 1969, visiting piano factories with his father, a piano importer. As an 18-year-old, Rick began traveling on his own, funding his trips by teaching piano lessons. In 1976, he started his business, Rick Steves' Europe, which has grown from a one-man operation to a company with a staff of 100 full-time, well-travelled employees at his headquarters in Washington state. There he produces more than 50 guidebooks on European travel, America's most popular travel series on public television, a weekly hour-long national public radio show, a weekly syndicated column, and free travel information available through his travel center and ricksteves.com. Rick Steves' Europe also runs a successful European tour program. Rick Steves lives and works in his hometown of Edmonds, Washington. His office window overlooks his old junior high school.”

The idea for some that legal marijuana will harm communities and send the States that legalize on a path of destruction is a fading concern in recent years, but is still prominent here in North Dakota and a major rallying cry for those against recreational legalization. Steves was quite outspoken when it came to this notion.

“I live in a State (Washington) that legalized marijuana 6 years ago. I just think a lot of people in a place like North Dakota are thinking like it’s 2010, what will happen if we legalize marijuana? And the fact is, we know what will happen if we legalize marijuana. What will happen here is what happened in Washington State. We take a booming black market industry and we turn it into a highly regulated and highly taxed legal industry, and you recognize the civil liberties of mature adults who might want to smoke marijuana recreationally. It’s smart policy.”

Among other major concerns, citizens of North Dakota are worried about the gateway marijuana might create for its young people and youth usage.

“A lot of people are worried that teen use will go up or crime will go up, or the roads will become less safe and 8-10 years ago that would be a reasonable concern, but right now we know what happens, use does not go up, use is essentially the same among mature adults, no society anywhere in the world has ever seen a correlation between how much is consumed and how strict the laws are. In Europe, the Netherlands has the least strict marijuana laws, and they smoke less than the European average, and Europeans smoke less than the American average and you can do hard time for it here in the States.”

How North Dakota legalizes marijuana, and the context of Measure 3 is a major concern for many North Dakotans. How the new laws will affect the State seem to be the number one issue over legalization, Rick commented on this as well.

“In Washington, and Colorado and other states where marijuana is legal when you legalize smartly; Use does not go up, teen use certainly does not go up, DUIs do not go up, crime does not go up. What goes up is; the exercise of civil liberties, we decimate a black market, you get to redirect law enforcement, precious law enforcement resources in the most serious issues instead of cutting down petty pot smokers and you generate a lot of tax revenue instead of black market revenue.”

Public safety is one of the largest concerns of North Dakotans, considering the legalization of recreational marijuana. Steves is was clear on how he felt on public safety compared to the legalization of marijuana.

“I do want to stress I’m not pro-marijuana, I don’t go to states that have pro-marijuana laws, I go to states that have public safety laws. In the United States we are into demoralizing and inconcerating. In Europe they are into what is called pragmatic harm reduction, and I just feel pragmatic harm reduction is smarter.”

Measure 3 for many including Rick Steves is not only a public safety law, but a “smart and pragmatic law.” Voting day is November 6th

, for those that require a residency change or license renewal NDDOT requires you to schedule an appointment. They are currently scheduled out until October 30th, real close to the election. So if you have not scheduled your appointment yet, now is the time to do it!