Rick Steves: U.S. Should Learn From Europe's Marijuana Laws
Author and travel expert Rick Steves has long studied drug and marijuana policies around the world, and he told Cheddar that the United States should take a page from Europe’s rulebook.
“In our society, especially with the way our administration is approaching the drug problem, it’s just ‘moralize and lock them up’, and it’s just not productive,” he said Tuesday. “In Europe, the word for addicted is ‘enslaved.’ People aren’t criminals, they’re sick … they need help to get over this problem.”
This White House has taken a harsher stance on drugs than its predecessor, with Attorney General Jeff Sessions scrapping Obama-era rules stopping the federal government from interfering with states’ cannabis laws, and President Donald Trump even suggesting the death penalty for dealers.
Steves, who co-sponsored a bill legalizing weed in Washington state, champions a more empathetic approach. He’s studied European drug laws for 15 years and says that, on the continent where “a joint is about as exciting as a can of beer,” effective policies keep incarceration rates low.
“Learn about Europe’s challenges with marijuana and its opioid problem, bring it home, and our society can learn.”
While Steves says he isn’t necessarily “pro-marijuana”, he is a strong advocate of ending “stupid” bans on its use.
“I’m just interested in [ending] incarceration and racist drug laws,” he said.
Currently, adult recreational marijuana use is legal in nine states and Washington, D.C.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/travel-as-a-political-act).
As negotiations drag on in Washington, DC over President Biden's social spending bills, Senate Democrats have introduced a new idea to fund Biden's plans: taxing the unrealized capital gains held by billionaires. Barron's reporter Sabrina Escobar joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where she explains what's in the billionaire tax proposal, who it will impact, and why it's on the table.
Hunter Walker joins Cheddar News to talk about his report in Rolling Stone that revealed how members of Congress and the White House helped plan the protest that turned violent on January 6.
Jill and Carlo discuss the pending approval for Pfizer's vaccine for kids, the state of anti-Semitism three years after Tree of Life, potential criminal charges in the 'Rust' prop gun shooting and more.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, signed a bill into law on Tuesday that restricts transgender students from playing on sports teams that correspond with their gender identity. Democratic State Representative Mary E. Gonzalez joined Cheddar to discuss the ramifications for transgender youth the new law represents. She also disputed the bill's proponents who argue that the measure is a matter of fairness for girls in sports, noting that various medical groups have affirmed that transgender athletes do not inherently hold an advantage over cisgender ones.
COP26 been dealt a blow as Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose countries are responsible for a third of the world's annual greenhouse gas emissions, will not be in attendance. Bertrand Piccard, Chairman and Founder of the Solar Impulse Foundation, joins Cheddar Climate, where he discusses what he expects to see when the summit commences in Glasgow.
Social media platforms TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube are facing questions in DC about consumer protections, data security, and product safety for young users. Emily Birnbaum, tech lobbying and influence reporter at Politico, joined Cheddar to provide some background into what led to the congressional hearing and the potential outcome. Birnbaum noted that social media platforms have been attempting to distance themselves from Facebook and the ongoing bad press it garnered in recent months.
