AMHERST — PBS travel show host Rick Steves will speak in favor of legalizing marijuana at the University of Massachusetts Amherst next month.
Steves, host of “Rick Steves’ Europe,” will embark on a four-day tour of Massachusetts for the Yes on 4 Campaign, according to a statement issued by the group. Voters will decide whether marijuana should be legalized, regulated and taxed via a referendum which is Question 4 on the Nov. 8 ballot.
Steves will start his tour at UMass with the talk “It’s Time for a Conversation: Rick Steves on why legalization is good citizenship” at 7 p.m. Oct. 11 in the Cape Cod Lounge. The event is open to the public.
He also is scheduled to speak later that week at two events in Boston.
“There are so many reasons to end the prohibition on marijuana,” Steves said in the statement. “Whether you’re concerned about the well-being of children, fairness for our minority communities, redirecting money away from criminals and into our state’s coffers, stemming the horrific bloodshed in Mexico, or civil liberties, it is clearly time for a new approach.”
Steves is also offering a matching donation of up to $100,000 for the Yes on 4 Campaign.