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| Democrats Say They Tried Marijuana, Republicans No |
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Posted by FoM on April 10, 2002 at 17:35:06 PT By John Mcelhenny, Associated Press Source: Associated Press 
All five Democrats running for governor say they have smoked marijuana, but Republican candidate Mitt Romney and GOP lieutenant governor candidate James Rappaport say they have never done so. The disclosures came days after New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg became an involuntary spokesman for a marijuana advocacy group's advertising campaign. ''Yes, Bob inhaled,'' said Dorie Clark, a spokeswoman for former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich, in a reference to Bill Clinton's now famous remark during the 1992 presidential campaign that he tried marijuana during college but did not inhale. Former state Sen. Warren Tolman tried marijuana around the time he attended Amherst College in the late 1970s and early 1980s. ''I don't think it's something to be embarrassed about,'' said Tolman on Wednesday. ''But obviously, it's not something I'm proud of.'' Romney, a Mormon who doesn't smoke or drink alcohol, has never smoked marijuana, campaign spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom said. Neither has Rappaport, the GOP-endorsed candidate for lieutenant governor, spokesman Mark DeCourcey said. Steven Epstein, a spokesman for Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition, which wants to legalize marijuana, was not surprised that the Democratic candidates had experimented with marijuana. But he was surprised by Rappaport's denial. ''He did go to college, didn't he?'' Epstein joked. Rappaport earned a business degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1977. Rappaport's opponent, Republican Kerry Murphy Healey, who is Romney's running mate, smoked marijuana ''once or twice'' as a student at Harvard 20 years ago, Fehrnstrom said. In New York this week, Bloomberg became the new face for an advertising campaign by The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. Bloomberg's picture was featured on bus shelter signs, telephone booths, and in a full-page ad in The New York Times with a quote from the saying, ''You bet I did. And I enjoyed it.'' The question: whether he had ever smoked marijuana. The ad urges New York City to stop arresting and jailing people for smoking marijuana. The other Democrats Senate President Thomas Birmingham, state Treasurer Shannon O'Brien and former Democratic National Party Chairman Steve Grossman all said they smoked marijuana more than once during their college years. ''At the time, I thought it was the thing to do,'' said Tolman, 42, who has three children. ''I hope that young kids like my own don't go down that path.'' Complete Title: Democratic Candidates Say They Tried Marijuana; Republicans Say No Source: Associated Press Related Articles & Web Sites: NORML Ad - Pictures & Articles A Potshot at Mayor - NYDN NY Mayor Appears in Marijuana Ads Grassroots Campaign Needed Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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Comment #3 posted by freddybigbee on April 11, 2002 at 09:34:13 PT:
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| When a pol says "I tried it once or twice," he may be telling the truth. More than likely what he is thinking is, "I know there are a number of people who witnessed me toking, so I better not risk being called a liar. Instead of admitting I toked dozens of times and loved it, I'll say I did it once or twice, hated it and regret it." Why vote for anyone who lies like that? I respect the mayor of New York (at least on this one issue) for telling the truth. Does anyone remember the TRUTH? [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #1 posted by goneposthole on April 11, 2002 at 06:31:40 PT |
| just don't know what is good for them, and it is no surprise. Ignore them. [ Post Comment ] |
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