American musician Kid Rock has been speaking about a variety of topics, including the fact that he thinks “everything” should be legalised.
The rap-rock frontman told the Guardian that all drugs should be legal and taxed.
It may not be a populist view, but over the past few years at least ten states in America have eased their marijuana laws, leading to a huge tax return for each state.
The singer claims he rarely smokes weed because it “makes me dumb” but went on to elaborate that he thinks “they should legalise and tax everything: pot, cocaine, heroin.”
He argued: “Has it not been proven that people will always find a way to get what they want?”
Liberal and some would say more progressive countries have already taken steps in this direction. Since 2001, Portugal has had a policy of decriminalising drugs and it certainly hasn’t led to collapse of their society.
Norway also has a softer approach with regards to its heroin users. The government provides magazines for users to sell, the idea being that it will dissuade them from criminal activities in order to raise money for their addiction. Addicts then go to a government run clinic, are given clean needles and are allowed to then take the drugs in a designated area of the clinic.
He chatted about his love of technology saying he doesn’t “FaceTweet or whatever people do”. “I turn on my computer and look at porn a little bit, see what’s going on in the news, but that’s about it,” Rock said.
He also spoke about performing at the Obama inauguration in 2008, “even though I didn’t vote for him.” Ritchie described playing the gig as “having an exciting sense of change in the air” before clarifying his political views. “That promise hasn’t been fulfilled – the country is more divided than ever. I am definitely a Republican on fiscal issues and the military, but I lean to the middle on social issues.”
“I am no fan of abortion,” he continued. “But it’s not up to a man to tell a woman what to do. As an ordained minister I don’t look forward to marrying gay people, but I’m not opposed to it.”
