The Seven Most Interesting Things Rick Steves Said Last Night About Legal Weed

[ErikJ]

Last edited Wed Oct 8, 2014, 10:56 PM - Edit history (1)

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Last night, he put his mouth where his money is. Here are the seven most interesting things Steves said about pot.

“A lot of Americans have this dream of a drug free society. There never has been a drug free society, there never will be a drug free society, and frankly I don't want a drug free society.”

“I think fear is for people who don't get out much. There’s a lot of fear wrapped up in this drug policy debate—fear of doing something different.”

“It’s fun to make Cheech and Chong jokes, but this is a very serious issue."

“The best way to lose control of a dangerous substance is to make it illegal. The best way to gain control of it is to regulate it and educate people. I think we can do that with marijuana.”

On minority arrests and citations for marijuana-related crimes: “That's the new Jim Crow."

“States are incubators of change. State by state, we’re going to take down the prohibition of our age.

“I’m a hardworking, churchgoing, kid raising, tax-paying, American citizen. If I want to go home, smoke a joint and look at the fireplace all night, that's my civil liberty.”

http://www.wweek.com/portland/blog-32286-the_seven_most_interesting_things_rick_steves_said_last_night_about_legal_weed.html

[elleng]

1. 'I’m a hardworking, churchgoing, kid raising, tax-paying, American citizen.

If I want to go home, smoke a joint and look at the fireplace all night, that's my civil liberty.”'

[Warren DeMontague]

7. I don't know why going to church should matter, but beyond that, yes.

I've never been in a church for purposes of worship in my life, and my view on legalization is the same- and just as valid.

[bvf]

19. Took the words right out of my mouth

with your take on "church-going." I went "huh?"

[AtheistCrusader]

74. Its a clear message to a particular political contingent in this nation that wants to control

what you put in your body as long as the topic is drugs, and what goes on in your bedroom, if it's not married, hetero sex.


It also happens to be the same political contingent that flips its shit when Bloomberg tries to control what you put in your body (sugary drinks) and when government tries to regulate what goes on in the boardroom.

[bvf]

90. No doubt about it.

"God-fearing" was another phrase that came to mind when I read that. Don't know if that is still in currency, but I bet it is in certain circles.

The "christian thing to do" is another.

[fishwax]

26. or kid raising, for that matter

[Ed Suspicious]

29. It's simply his reality. Or maybe he was pointing out that it isn't only

heathens and heretics who want to use, it's also people you see at Sunday service who think prohibition is a travesty.

[deurbano]

31. Yeah, I think he is dispelling stereotypes about who might use pot.

[F4lconF16]

33. Which is a good thing.

On the other hand, he is also reinforcing the idea that going to church is necessary to be a moral person.

The question then becomes, which sterotype does more harm?

This isn't a problem if you just leave church-going and kid raising out of it. However, I still liked the piece and I think that it was an effective statement, even if it could have been stated better.

[different equation]

38. Going to church is not necessary to be a "moral person"

ridiculous of anyone to preach this..

[rhett o rick]

73. I agree but it doesn't apply here. nm

[AtheistCrusader]

75. He's not preaching it. He's showing it's a bunk stereotype.

It's a message to the crowd that makes certain assumptions about people who go to church.

[CBGLuthier]

43. No, he is reinforcing the stereotype that each human being can say and think and do what he wants

WTF is everyone giving a very religious man shit for expressing a statement about his life. This is the kind of stupid fucking bullshit that makes DU suck.

[Adsos Letter]

64. Spot.On.

[Warren DeMontague]

35. My hunch is it is overused rhetorical shorthand for "regular person". He may not even go to church.

But just because it is overused rhetorical shorthand, doesn't mean it isn't due for some critical examination.

I will say I support Rick Steves's message.

[TheMightyFavog]

92. Rick Steves is ELCA Lutheran, IIRC.

I'm guessing, as he's done a number of church history videos for the ELCA.

[Warren DeMontague]

34. Sure, anyone who has ever hung out with a Rasta knows that.

I mean, crap, it's a sacrament. At least as valid as wine, AFAIAC.

[gopiscrap]

52. IMHO that's exactly where the OP was going with that statement.

[Adsos Letter]

63. ^This^

[Sirveri]

50. Because the American public won't elect an atheist to office.

That's the problem. Doesn't matter if he goes to church or not, but if he says he does it reaches the segment it needs to reach to effect change.

[Warren DeMontague]

81. ah, hence the word "should".

Frankly, like I said upthread, I think it's a hackneyed rhetorical device meaning "regular person", and it is one that is showing its age and is overdue for critical examination.

Also as far as conventional wisdom assumptions as to what the American public will or won't vote for- 10 years ago you certainly could have heard the same about an AA President, and the irony of that sort of thing being floated in a thread about pot legalization- which is increasingly popular but not many years ago was treated by the beltway crowd as a giant joke - is rich, indeed.

[jtuck004]

58. Because if he had said "I'm a liberal Democrat who doesn't really get my hands dirty and thinks

using spaghetti to poke fun at other's religion is funny as hell, and, btw, my kid is gay"...

(I don't know him, that's just an example. Throw in whatever you want).

while something like that might be absolutely accurate, and it would be that person's right to smoke a joint and look at the fireplace (have you ever really looked at a fireplace? <G&gt , and, frankly, the kind I would rather have as a neighbor, he would have only caught the ear of a smaller group of people and the message he wanted out would have drowned.

I don't think he was using this:

"hardworking, churchgoing, kid raising, tax-paying, American citizen"

as a literal. It's more of an archetype in the American consciousness that has been instilled and drives people's behavior. More as a device to get a message across to a bigger audience that has it as part of their personality.

Could have said something else, but then his message might not have had the reach it did, which might be of more value to him. His right.

[Warren DeMontague]

83. I'll stick with hackneyed and outdated rhetorical shorthand, thanks.

Also Oregon is the most secular state in the US (thankfully) so it's highly doubtful he was trying to play to a Bible belt type audience. Far more likely that people here would "get" the Flying Spaghetti Monster and the way it takes apart the inane special pleading logic of creationism.

I think it was an off-the-cuff verbal tic, if you will. But my point stands, one does not need to go to church to have a valid opinion on legalization.

[deurbano]

65. I don't think he would disagree. I think it's more about

not just preaching to the choir.... about reaching people who might "relate" more to him than to you or I. When Steves-- who looks somewhat conservative and suburban (but not elitist) in his short sleeved shirts and khakis-- talks about attending church, paying taxes, raising kids and supporting the legalization of pot, that message can better reach people not persuaded by someone like me-- a nonbeliever who lives in San Francisco! Given his other positions, I don't think he is trying to marginalize or devalue people who don't go to church, don't pay taxes (well, we all pay taxes) or don't have kids. He is intentionally trying to open the eyes of those who "look" more like him.

[bvar22]

67. Church would be more fun and more spiritual....

...if smoking weed during the service were mandatory.

[LiberalLovinLug]

76. Maybe he means this church...

[Warren DeMontague]

85. Or this one

[hunter]

91. I've gone to multiple churches thanks to my sometimes religiously insane family

As a kid I've lived as an indigent U.S. American in France shortly after Franco's Spain got too hot my parents. My mom always says what she thinks, which is never, ever, a good idea in a fascist nation.

France didn't quite know what to do with our family so they fed us a big meal and gave us ferry tickets to England.

Rick Steves is awesome. May the great spirit of this universe bless him. I like to travel light too.

I suspect he's seen some of the worst public toilets on this planet, holes in the floor where very drunk men puke and otherwise blow out their guts, or masturbate. I have. Here in the U.S.A. too.

[Warren DeMontague]

94. I hear ya, on all of it.

I think what Steves is doing is great, don't get me wrong- and I really, really hope measure 91 passes here.

[pbmus]

2. Sorry never heard of Rick and do not really give two shits what he thinks ...nt

[Warren DeMontague]

6. He's another voice of sanity against us spending $60 Billion/yr filling prisons with pot smokers.

Prohibition is a failed public policy, and it is time to end it.

[pbmus]

11. You mean he is commenting on our insane drug laws ...nt

[ErikJ]

8. He is THE guru of travel

especially in Europe. He has a very popular show on PBS. I used his main book quite a bit to travel Europe for a few months.

[truedelphi]

70. Thank you for yr post. I knew I had heard of his

Name, I knew it rang a bell, but the second you said "travel guru" I could place him.

[ladyVet]

78. I used to watch him on PBS! He was always so calm and laid-back.

Now I know why. Rock on, my brother.

[MH1]

9. So he doesn't influence you, but what if he influences a ton of other people?

It's good for him to be on the correct side of the issue.

[pbmus]

14. A ton of people is how many exactly ...nt

[noiretextatique]

21. he has a very popular travel show on PBS

all about european travel. so i guess he influences people who watch PBS.

[jtuck004]

49. Still 2000 lbs. n/t

[bravenak]

51. LOL!!!nt

[elleng]

10. Try informing yourself about international travel.

He has written many travel books, and often appears on PBS travel shows, has for years.

[elleng]

18. You don't get out much, do you?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1216

[lunasun]

22. Armchair travelers are part of his audience too!

[Ed Suspicious]

30. That's me. I love his show. Never left the continental U.S..

[ErikJ]

24. His main thing is back-pack budget travel.

He's been spending 4 months in Europe every year since he was 18 and now pushing 60. His #1 rule is to travel light with a small backpack and a small daypack for daily excursions.

[MoonchildCA]

25. Wow!

I wish my bank knew I was in the 1%...

[FailureToCommunicate]

27. Perhaps you should spend a little time on the Google, and less sidetracking this

thread?

"Only 1%ers travel internationally"

[stillwaiting]

36. I'm not the 1%; not even close; and I love Rick Steves

He is such a good progressive who stands up INTELLIGENTLY for progressive values often.

He deserves a lot of recognition and praise for doing so.

He also treats his employees very well and lobbies for better treatment of workers in general.

Anyone who cares about liberal or progressive values should be a fan of Rick Steves to some extent. He definitely deserves our support.

[LibertyLover]

39. Either you are incredibly uninformed

or being deliberately dense.

[Jake Stern]

55. I've travelled to Europe 3 times as a plain ol' tourist. I'm nowhere near being a 1%er.

Gearing up for a fourth trip, this time to visit Slovakia, Hungary and Poland. As with each of my European trips, one ofthe first things I will do is go to the library to check out a copy of Rick Steve's guide for that area and maybe the DVD of his show about it.

[hunter]

59. Only 1%ers???

All those immigrant workers are 1%ers???

Gosh. Who knew?

[Coventina]

60. I sure hope that you are kidding. Millions of us travel internationally on a budget.

In the last 7 years, while working part time I've traveled to Japan, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, England, and Scotland. If you want to call Hawaii "overseas" I've gone there as well.

Rick Steves and other guides are available to help 99%ers travel on a tight budget.

It's also what one chooses to spend money on. I drive a 1999 car, live in a house that's less than 1000 sq. ft., most of my clothes are a decade+ old, I have a 2003 dumb phone, etc.

It all depends on what you prioritize in life.

[Rob H.]

61. So active-duty military personnel and their families are 1%ers?

I wish I'd known that when I was a kid and we were barely scraping by on my dad's pay as a US Navy enlisted man.

[Nay]

62. I think we've got a live one here, folks. nt

[Logical]

32. LOL, someone needs a nap! nt

[CBGLuthier]

44. But you do give two shits about letting people know you do not give two shits

Well bully for you. I never heard of you and well you can guess the rest.

[Eleanors38]

45. I call that "militant apathy."

[musiclawyer]

3. I tell people much the same

So you can go home and enjoy your merlot or gin and tonic but I can't go home and vape an indica after a hard day? They always get flummoxed after about .....thirty seconds ...

[Warren DeMontague]

4. Legalize it, Regulate it, Tax it.

Go Oregon!

[dgauss]

5. Rick Steves is a lot more interesting than just some guy with a travel luggage business.

Travel and a liberal outlook on life seem to go together with him. Google the guy. Here's one article:

http://www.salon.com/2009/03/20/rick_steves/

[madokie]

12. I smoked that old

devil weed for damn near 50 years and all it got me was some stopped up lungs. Seriously I worked, played, did it all while high all those years. Not many people could keep up with me no matter if I was doing something highly physical or that required concentration and analytical skills it matter not as I was up to the task. the laws we have concerning pot are counterproductive if you ask me. I'm sure there are those who can't function because of being high but not everyone is affected that way.

[postulater]

17. Sorry about your lungs.

[Half-Century Man]

20. Switch to ingestion.

Dry it, grind it coarse and mix in salads.
Dry it in grape sized balls and eat them, use dips if too dry.
A friend of mine swore that MJ in mustard greens was great.

[pipoman]

42. Butter making is way more effective than eating weed....

[Half-Century Man]

86. It came out a bit bitter for me that way.

I used Olive oil (1st choice) or light grape seed oil.

At least I used to; I started dating a girl who asked me to quit while we were dating, 27 years now. Which also means I have little experience with modern strains. I have to speculate the difference between controlled crop and ditch weed is pretty evident.

[pipoman]

89. it is a light year away from even 10 years ago

Concentrate extraction is a pseudoscience. Any fat extraction properly done will be more efficient than eating flowers.

[F4lconF16]

77. As long as you decarb the weed first.

Vaping is my preferred way to do it. Then you get the already vaped bud (AVB) left over for edibles. Vaping saves your lungs for the most part, since there's no combustion. Then, there's all the AVB left over that can still have upwards of 30% of the original THC left.

With normal MJ, you have to decarb the weed. This is because freshly harvested, all the THC is actually THC-a, which does nothing. When you decarboxylate, it removes the acid group, and makes it wayyyy more potent. The best way to decarb weed is to put in your oven for about an hour at ~240°F. This decarbs it without boiling off the terpenes and THC. (Terpenes give weed the flavor, and have a number of beneficial effects as well). Once you've done that, you can bake it into stuff, use it in capsules, eat it raw, it doesn't really matter. I think cannabutter is the most reliable way to do it, though. It's easy and can be dosed nicely for medication.

Vaping, like I said, is my favorite way to decarb. This is because the vape brings up most of the weed to the vaporizing point of THC, but not all of it. It decarbs what's left over, and the stuff you use gets you high with almost all the bad parts of smoking gone. Then since the AVB is decarbed, it's ready to use on or in pretty much anything edible. It also has a much higher CBD (another chemical in weed) to THC ratio, meaning it's way harder to overdose, and if you do, it won't be particularly bad. (Since ODing is certainly possible with edibles--and I mean greening out, not dying, for the clueless people). There's a lot of good sites on this. Dailychronic is my personal favorite, though I find his dosages to be miserably small for anyone with even the slightest tolerance and experience.

[F4lconF16]

79. +1

Different effects on different people. I use it to study and exercise, and it makes a huge difference. A couple of hits keep me focused for a few hours. I'm much more productive using it. It's absolutely ridiculous that it's considered so harmful, especially when you compare it to alcohol, which is legal. It only gets dumber when you go to the federal level, where apparently it's worse than cocaine and meth.

As for the lungs, once I stopped "smoking" weed, it lost any of the negatives for me. My lungs are fine now that I only vape or ingest it.

[Half-Century Man]

87. I always use cards as an example to explain the difference between booze and weed.

It goes like this:
People who are playing poker while drinking occasionally shoot each other over imagined cheating. People who are playing poker while toking up, usually find themselves playing Old Maid and having a good time.

[F4lconF16]

88. It's an excellent example.

Very similar to the one I use.

As for weed and poker, I'm pretty sure they were made to go together. Assuming you make it all the way through--first time I had too many brownies I fell asleep on the chips

[bvf]

95. Works for me.

If you stick with poker, you can also get into interesting discussions about odds, or get sidetracked by thinking about how high the person was who designed the Bicycle pack.

Whatever the digression, everyone's bound to come out alive.

[TeamPooka]

15. Prohibition is a failed public policy. nt

[ucrdem]

16. no kidding. . .

He seems like a real straight arrow on his NPR shows which are worth catching. Good travel books too, worth the 14 bucks, unlike a some o the other big ones which are generally good for a map or two and definitely not worth packing.

[LuvNewcastle]

23. Rick Steves for President -- or VP.

Warren/Steves sounds like a good ticket. So does Sanders/Steves. Rick's been all over the world and has experienced aspects of a variety of cultures. I think he'd be a great Sec. of State as well. He'd be especially good at relations with Europe.

I saw his show when he went to Iran, and it was very informative. A lot of people in Iran, especially the younger people, want to change their repressive government and have better relations with the U.S. We could be a good influence on them in a lot of ways, and there would be a lot of advantages in having them as allies.

[RoccoR5955]

28. Nah, Sanders/Warren...

And Steves for Secretary of State!

[MindPilot]

37. Who the hell is Rick Steves and why does he think cannabis is a "dangereous substance"?

"stare at the fireplace all night"?!

This dude is doing little more than perpetuating Reefer Madness bullshit.

[LibertyLover]

40. I take it that reading

comprehension is a problem for you. Someone who has donated more than $300,000 to the campaign for legalizing marijuana is not "perpetuating reefer madness bullshit".

[libodem]

46. I have always felt drugs should be legal

And if you want to fuck up your life or go home and OD it's your prerogative. We other people see enough of it they can make their own decisions to engage in the use or abuse of whatever substance. Education is key.

[jtuck004]

47. "I think fear is for people who don't get out much" <

I have to learn more about this fella.

[suffragette]

93. Here's a little more - he's a strong proponent of progressive taxation

http://blog.ricksteves.com/blog/sequester-people-like-me-not-struggling-americans/

He donated his Bush tax cuts to his hometown Arts Center:
http://www.king5.com/story/news/local/2014/08/02/13009918/

And he has not been afraid to be clear about his political views, even when it could have cost him customers for his travel books, shows, etc. He makes clear that his passion for travel includes meeting the people and attempting to understand each other across cultures, not just looking at the tourist attractions:

https://www.ricksteves.com/about-rick/innocents-abroad-how-travel-changed-my-perspective-and-politics

[jtuck004]

96. Sounds like someone who puts principle first. Haven't seen one of those in a long time.

And thank you.

[librechik]

48. I'm from Colorado (cat who ate cannabis smirk)

legal weed is awesome. Get some in your state.

[truedelphi]

69. It is one thing to "get legal weed." It is another thing entirely

To hold on to it.

I am hoping that what is happening in Calif. does not happen where you live. But believe me, you have an industry, Big Pharma, who needs to keep the substance illegal. As does the Prison for Profit industry.

Both those two indsutries have mucho dollars to throw at efforts of destroying legalization. So it is hard to stop those two forces from continuing to wage war on an individual's right to marijuana, even after a voter approved legalization takes effect.

We have the forces mentioned above continually chipping away at our medicinal marijuana privileges here in California.

My County, a tiny place in Northern Calif. now has a local ordinance that makes it hard for anyone to grow their own med marijuana. In some places, like the city of Lakeport, a person has to invest at least $ 1,600 to have a greenhouse, before they can then grow four to six plants.

To the west of our County, in Humboldt and Mednocino, para-military forces are being hired. These mercenaries then helicopter in and create havoc. The news articles are few and far between regarding this mess, so I am not sure if the mercenaries are just zooming in and destroying pot plants of anyone they want to target, or if they are merely being hired by private citizens who do not want their unguarded acreage to be the "home site" of a drug cartel. (The former is something I deplore, while the idea of kicking the drug cartel employees off the land is one I support.)

[librechik]

72. it passed in our leg by one vote, and the leg is 50-50

exactly. Believe me, I know it's difficult. I never believed it would happen. Right now you have the GOP neutralized in California.
Now is the time

[BeyondGeography]

53. Good man

It comes through in his work as well.

[gopiscrap]

54. I have always liked Rick Steves

I was a recipient of an award at a Faith Action Network dinner one time at which he spoke and thought he was very engaging and right on!

[mainer]

56. Yay Rick Steves! (His microfiber daypack is the best travel gear I've ever bought.)

He's the travel guru for a lot of backpackers abroad, and his opinions have a megaphone.

[theaocp]

57. Ironically, TPTB call it drug "control"

when they have ceded control to anyone who is NOT the state. They control jack and shit and jack left town. Fuck narcs.

[deurbano]

66. Rick Steves appeals to a wide range of people...

and that makes him an effective spokesperson for this cause and others.

When my mom took the grandchildren to the UK in 2011, I brought Rick Steves videos for the car as background commentary through the Cotswolds, Wales, etc.. My 80-year-old mom LOVED the guy! (He comes across as very benign, non-threatening, polite, well groomed, etc... but with interesting information.) My mom is a Hannity/Limbaugh/Fox "News" loving right winger who sees EVERYthing in terms of political party affiliation (she calls it the "Democrat Party&quot and race. She was a delegate to the last Republican convention (in Tampa) and she went on a Weekly Standard cruise last fall! But... shortly after (or maybe during) that trip, we saw a Rick Steves editorial in USA Today (or something like that), and he was taking a position (can't remember exactly what) that was not her own... but she actually considered his point of view because she already had such a favorable opinion of him. If you knew my mom, you would understand how almost unprecedented that was!

Up thread, another poster linked to this article:
http://www.salon.com/2009/03/20/rick_steves/

MAR 20, 2009
The Other Side of Rick Steves
He may seem like Mister Rogers. But in a revealing interview, the travel guru shares his daring views on Iran and terrorism, spoiled Americans and the best places to smoke pot in Europe.
by KEVIN BERGER

[liberalmuse]

68. I don't smoke pot recreationally

but have no issue with those who do. I grew up never having tried pot, but when I did, it was so different than what I'd been told it was by anti-drug campaigns. Now, I smoke very small amounts once in a great while, and for me, that works better than any anti-depressant I've ever taken. I actually admire people who can smoke recreationally, because my mind cannot handle psychedelics in large quantities, though even terrifying experiences have greatly benefitted. The truth is, I use marijuana therapeutically, not as an escape, but to forcefully yet gently bring my hidden sh&it to the surface to see, recognize, own, deal with and eventually embrace. This is an amazing plant.

[Android3.14]

71. Damn straight

[bleedinglib]

80. Fireplace !!

I never sit in front of the FP during the summer, but if I had some good reefer I might!!
Now, in the winter I do sit in front of the FP in my rocker with my Pug on my lap. Seriously, I hope these dumb-ass Missour-a politicians legalize before I die so I can enjoy my FP without fear of spending life in prison for smoking a joint in the privacy of my home, not harming anyone, I mean, what the hell is wrong with this picture??

[locks]

84. I've been on Rick's Europe through the Backdoor

and Spain and Portugal and know many people who have traveled with him. All have been excellent with great guides, liberals who care about the people in the countries and the environment and do not scam tourists. The company has always contributed to Bread for the World and always supported legalization of marijuana. In Colorado we're proud that he often comes to support CO PBS. Whether you want to use weed or not doesn't matter, as long as it's regulated, taxed and kept from children, legalization has been a positive for Colorado and I think would be for the nation.