瘾君子亿万富翁签署赠与誓言

    但在我们问他时，他本来可以说“不”，直接否认，可是他没这么说。即便如此，我们还是在标题的“大麻”后面加上了问号。

    我们也许根本不必如此费周章，但这件事真正水落石出要到几年后了。2000年，新西兰奥克兰机场的缉毒犬发现了路易斯行李箱中的大麻制品，当时他刚刚飞抵新西兰，准备观看美洲杯帆船赛（the America's Cup）。他被逮捕，但在承认有罪并向戒毒康复中心Odyssey House支付5.3万美元之后被释放。

    这一事件引发了如潮的新闻报道，也使得路易斯从此不再回避大麻话题。如今，他不仅公开承认自己使用大麻，而且还在积极努力，让出售大麻合法化。在这项努力中，他的同道有时还包括投资人乔治•索罗斯和凤凰城大学（University of Phoenix）的创始人约翰•斯柏林（这两人都还没有签署赠与宣言）。

    但今年以来，路易斯一直是对美国两个州即将投票的大麻提案最有力的名人支持者。在马萨诸塞州，路易斯捐资140万美元，支持将医用大麻销售合法化的提案。在华盛顿州，路易斯提供150万美元支持的议案则更进一步，提倡对21岁以上的人销售大麻合法化。目前，这两项提案的命运都不甚明朗。

    事实上，除了大麻，路易斯发布在“赠与誓言”网站上的公开信也有惊人之语，他说出了一项很多人可能赞同，但不怎么说得出口的观点——他说：“慈善并不是人们本能的举动，必须通过后天的学习和实践。”

    他进一步明确（当然还是以他的风格）称，他喜欢向那些“以诚相待，将意图开诚布公的”慈善事业捐款。”

    稍后的内容或许在当前大选背景下可以称之为大麻党(Weed Party)：路易斯说：“如果有一个领域，是大多数慈善家讳莫如深，但公共政策又极其失败的，那就是美国过时无效的大麻法律。大部分美国人准备修改大麻法，但我们依然因为年轻人做些完全平平常常的事情而逮捕他们。我已经为推进相关立法提供资金，希望未来患者能合法地获得大麻用于缓解疼痛和恶心反应。我在小腿被截肢后，丝毫不隐瞒自己就是这些患者中的一员，就是用大麻来帮助缓解疼痛。”

    路易斯随后就此停笔，用一种让人回想起上世纪60年代的、充满深情的方式给这封信结了尾。“照顾好自己。身体健康，快乐永随。欢乐、爱与和平永相伴。彼得•B•路易斯上”

    译者：杨智

    But, still, he could have said "no" when we asked--and he didn't. Even so, we put that question mark behind the word "reefer" in the headline.

    We needn't have bothered, though it took several years to make that crystal-clear. In 2000, drug-sniffing dogs at Auckland, New Zealand's airport detected cannabis in Lewis' briefcase as he arrived in the country to watch the America's Cup regatta. He was arrested, but was released after pleading guilty and giving $53,000 to Odyssey House, a drug-rehabilitation center.

    News stories about that event pretty much eliminated any reluctance Lewis had about publicly discussing this subject he once ducked. Today, he is not only outspoken about his use of marijuana but also zealous in working to see its sale legalized. His compatriots in that drive have sometimes included investor George Soros and University of Phoenix founder John Sperling (neither a member of the Giving Pledge).

    But this year Lewis has been the biggest name by far in backing marijuana initiatives that will be voted on in two states. In Massachusetts—where Lewis has given $1.4 million to the cause—the proposal is simply to legalize the sale of medical marijuana. Washington's initiative, which Lewis has backed with $1.5 million, goes further, proposing to legalize the sale of marijuana to anyone 21 or older. The fate of both initiatives is uncertain.

    Meanwhile, Lewis' pledge letter on the Giving Pledge website stands out even before he gets to marijuana because of an assertion he makes that other people may feel is correct but don't often state: "Philanthropy," he says, "is an unnatural act that must be learned and practiced."

    He moves on to specify—definitely staying in character here—that he likes giving to philanthropies that are "totally honest and open about their intentions."

    And a bit later comes what we will dub, in this election season, the Weed Party platform: "If there is one area," says Lewis, "that is taboo for most philanthropists yet exemplifies disastrous public policy, it is our nation's outdated, ineffective marijuana laws. A majority of Americans are ready to change marijuana laws, yet we continue to arrest our young people for engaging in an activity that is utterly commonplace. I have funded much of the movement to enact laws that give patients access to marijuana as relief for pain and nausea—and have made no secret of being one of those patients myself, using marijuana to help with pain following the amputation of my lower leg."

    Lewis signs off soon after that, in a soulful way that recalls the 1960s. "Take care of yourself. Stay well and happy. Joy, Love and Peace. Peter B. Lewis."