Just a short, simple blog for Bob to share his thoughts.
27 June 2025 • by Bob • Health, Opinion, Science
My wife and I are big fans of travel writer Rick Steves. Over the years we've watched his travel shows on PBS, we always use his guidebooks as we travel throughout Europe, and we've been on a couple of his European tours (which are worth every penny). Because of our fanboy status, I follow Rick Steves on Social Media, and I was both surprised and shocked when Rick posted the following on Facebook earlier today:
"I'm a hardworking, taxpaying, churchgoing, grandkid-raising American citizen. And if I work all day long and want to go home, smoke a joint, and just stare at the fireplace for three hours... that's my civil liberty!" That's a line I use whenever I give a talk explaining my principled stance that all adults should have the freedom to enjoy marijuana recreationally and responsibly.
In a new article in Cannabis Now Magazine, Sara Payan - the best reporter covering cannabis I've met - reports on how and why, for more than two decades now, I've been on a mission to end America's prohibition on marijuana. Her excellent story, which is available at Rick Steves Talks Travel, Cannabis and Freedom, covers how travel has shaped my views on drug policy, why I believe in regulation over prohibition, what I've learned about Europe's focus on "pragmatic harm reduction," how the prohibition against marijuana in our country is both racist and counter-productive, and how you can get involved in drug policy reform. (Spoiler alert: Don't just complain about the status quo... join me by becoming a supporting member of NORML.)
I'm a travel writer. For me, high is a place. And sometimes I just want to go there. Can I get in my car and drive while I'm under the influence of a drug? No. Throw the book at me. But as a matter of principle, it's time we recognized the responsible adult use of marijuana as a civil liberty - not just in blue states... but in all states.
Rick's position is understandable: he's a cannabis user, and everyone who is behaving in a manner that others might perceive as wrong would love to see all restrictions lifted for their chosen vice. This mindset is what has led several states to overturn previous laws that criminalized marijuana use, but just because something has been made legal doesn't make it right. For example, adultery used to be illegal, now it's only viewed as immoral. In other words, adultery may be legal, but it's still regarded as unacceptable, because it hurts people. And it's the same thing with marijuana use; just because cannabis has been made legal in some areas doesn't mean that its harmful effects have been negated. On the contrary, numerous researchers in science and medical fields have published a wealth of peer-reviewed articles about the negative effects of recreational cannabis use, though this research falls on deaf ears because people want what they want, regardless of the consequences. (Which is why tobacco use has remained popular around the world despite overwhelming evidence that it's a highly addictive drug that kills millions of people per year.)
With that in mind, I felt prompted to respond to Rick's post with the following comment:
Myriad well-regarded, peer-reviewed studies and reviews have established a concrete association between marijuana use and various mental health disorders, and here are just a few examples:
There are lots of other articles and studies, such as https://tinyurl.com/4e4nw8t2 and https://tinyurl.com/mrykvkph from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), that go into additional details, but suffice to say that cannabis use is tied to lasting psychological damage. However, as a professing "churchgoing citizen," I believe that you're more than aware that a sin nature wants what it wants, which is why you're advocating for a drug with a proven track record of harming people.
I fully expected a wave of negative feedback from the pro-cannabis crowd in response to my comment, but that didn't happen. Instead, Rick promptly deleted my response. Apparently, Rick doesn't like people presenting a solid argument that disagrees with him.
C'est la vie.