February 13, 2008
For Immediate Release
Contact: Ashley Sytsma
(425) 608-4293
Rick Steves Hosts "Marijuana: It's Time for a Conversation"
Ground-breaking ACLU-produced TV special
Rick Steves is familiar to millions of Americans as the enthusiastic, slightly corny host of public television's Rick Steves' Europe series. He's back on TV this winter, but his new topic isn't the Magic of Madrid — it's the controversy of marijuana.
A longtime advocate for the decriminalization of marijuana, Steves is hosting "Marijuana: It's Time for a Conversation"— a half-hour TV special produced by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The program, which will air on local stations and is available now through Comcast On-demand, has Steves moderating a panel and interviewing experts on the topic he considers to be "one of the most important social justice issues of our generation."
According to Steves, "Marijuana use should be treated primarily as a health issue, not a criminal one. In Europe, I've seen how more thoughtful approaches to social issues can really work. Our government's 'war on drugs' sounds very tough and results-driven, but all it really succeeds at is being enormously expensive, tearing families apart, and treating non-conformists as criminals. As a society we're making exactly the same mistakes we made during the alcohol Prohibition era. Now, like then, we need the understanding to go beyond "hard" or "soft" on drugs and find a policy that is "smart on drugs.""
"Marijuana: It's Time for a Conversation" is designed to take America's discussion about marijuana beyond the "war on drugs" rhetoric, and to bring scientific information and common sense to the table.
For more information on "Marijuana: It's Time for a Conversation" — including details on the show's panelists and interviewees — visit the ACLU's website dedicated to this issue, www.marijuanaconversation.org. For more background on Rick Steves' involvement on the movement to decriminalize marijuana, visit www.ricksteves.com/pressroom.
Please contact Ashley Sytsma, Publicist, for press opportunities or interview requests for Rick Steves.