I sat down with Rick Steves last Friday to talk pot. Here's our quick Q&A on why changing marijuana laws is good for parents, good for Christians and good for society.
I bet people are surprised to find out you're a marijuana advocate.
In some people's minds, they have like whiplash. They say, "I didn't know you were involved in that." And I think that's funny because my persona, everything about me, is consistent. I think enjoying marijuana is perfectly consistent with being a good parent, a good citizen, a Christian or a person of faith, a creative individual who wants to embrace life and challenge themselves with creative adventures. All that's right in keeping with the someone who wants to enjoy a little marijuana.
I heard you were chosen the 2008 Lutheran of the Year. What does the church think about your marijuana advocacy?
The church knows I am not an advocate of smoking marijuana, I'm an advocate of allowing people to smoke marijuana who want to smoke marijuana. That's a big difference. I'm not saying, "Smoke pot, smoke pot, everybody smoke pot." I'm saying, "Stop arresting people who choose to smoke pot." That's a very Christian thing to be doing, I think, to respect people, not lock people up, and think about harm reduction. I don't support a lot of lifestyles that come along with smoking too much marijuana, I think that's actually really sad, but I also don't think adults should be hiding like little children if they want to enjoy a little marijuana.