Cannabis reformist and travel guru Rick Steves has given hot tips regarding cannabis legalization in conservative states. Steves has been a board member of NORML for one and a half decades.
He also championed legalization in his home state of Washington and successfully pushed for recreational use of marijuana in Oregon, Massachusetts, Maine, Illinois, and Michigan.
Campaigning for adult-use legalization
Steves has been a staunch crusader of recreational marijuana legalization, especially in Arizona, Montana, New Jersey, and South Dakota. At a time when America is quite divided on whether to legalize or not, there’s a need to just fine-tune everything before Election Day.
In a recent interview with Wikileaf, Steves pointed out important tips that could draw skeptics towards marijuana legalization. To begin with, Steves himself is a veteran champion of “civil liberty” side legalization. In his own words, he says:
If I work all day and want to go home and smoke a joint and just stare at the fireplace for three hours, that’s my civil liberty. I happen to be a workaholic, and I think it’s a great opportunity to relax by enjoying a bit of pot. Do I want my neighbour to do that? I don’t care.
Cannabis reformist Rick Steves extends the same policy to his staff of almost a hundred people, many of them are cannabis consumers. “I just want them to show up to work not impaired,” Steves said.
All the same, Steves offers tips that he thinks can lure red-state skeptics to the legalization side. For instance, he encourages advocates to know their audience. This can help them frame up ideas that make sense to enthusiasts in the conservative states.
Keeping messaging and legalization simple
Steves says social equity should be out of legalization legislation, as it could turn voters off to cannabis reform. With more pronounced racial disparities in the cannabis industry and American society, this could be a bitter pill for many advocates.
I am sympathetic to the case for racial justice when it comes to [making] money off of this industry after it’s legalized. But I’m not interested in complicating the issue right now when it is a really simple issue: do you want it legal or not? Steves said.
The cannabis reformist said it’s not the time to talk about things that scare people. Instead, it’s time to remind voters that this is good for veterans. It’s time to remind them that road safety is not an issue. It’s time to remind them that “we need to get rid of the black market.”
With only a few weeks to the election, perhaps these tips could provide a common ground for both opponents and supporters of cannabis to proceed together for a reformed cannabis industry in the US.
