cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Lobby Picks Bloomberg Marijuana Lobby Picks Bloomberg Posted by FoM on April 09, 2002 at 19:58:11 PT By Mark Coleman In New York Source: Scotsman UK Michael Bloomberg, New York’s mayor, has become the unlikely poster boy for a pro-marijuana advertising campaign, it emerged yesterday. The face of the billionaire bachelor, who admits he smoked the soft drug as a youth, will appear on literature designed by an American lobby group, the National Organisation for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). The Washington-based organisation hopes its crusade will persuade the New York police department to ease its ultra-strict policy on pot smoking in Manhattan and surrounding boroughs. Under former supremo Rudolph Giuliani, the city adopted a "zero tolerance" attitude towards those caught smoking the stimulant in public. Despite his predecessor's tough approach Mr Bloomberg told an interviewer last year who asked if he had ever smoked pot: "You bet I did. And I enjoyed it." Political analysts interpreted the comment as an effort by Mr Bloomberg, 60, to shoot from the hip and appear as a "man of the people". But his words came back to haunt him yesterday, when NORML announced it is to plough $500,000 into its campaign. "I am not thrilled they are using my name," said Mr Bloomberg, adding that he has no intention of attempting to halt the adverts on legal grounds. He went on: "I suppose there’s that First Amendment that gets in the way of my stopping it." The posters, which will be put up in city subway stations, on buses and in newspapers, will feature a picture of Mr Bloomberg, his quote on smoking pot and a tag line that will read, "It’s NORML to smoke pot". Nicholas Thimmesch, director of NORML, said: "We are not advocating that people smoke marijuana in public. We are just saying that when someone does that, it doesn’t make any sense to arrest them, incarcerate them and tie up valuable police time. "We are very happy that the mayor has expressed his own personal experience with marijuana. And what we says is, ‘At last, an honest politician’." Mr Bloomberg responded: "We should enforce the laws as they are, and the police department will do so vigorously." Mr Bloomberg’s unwanted association with pot is the latest episode in a troubling period for the new mayor, who has endured a difficult settling-in period since taking over from Mr Giuliani. As he prepares for his 100th day in office today, many insiders say Mr Bloomberg is often frustrated by the time-consuming nature of the job’s ceremonial duties the endless speeches, ribbon cuttings and honorariums that clutter every mayor’s day, to the extent that he has been heard to describe himself as a "one-term mayor". A recent article in the Daily News stated: "While Bloomberg is relaxed and off-the-cuff in front of, say, a roomful of biotech executives, moments that call for the soaring oratory of a natural-born politician can seem a struggle". New York has exercised extremely tough measures on pot smokers over the past decade. In 1992, 720 people were arrested for smoking marijuana. By 1999, following Mr Giuliani’s zero-tolerance influence, the figure soared to 33,471. The mayor is by no means the first US politician to be associated with the so-called "soft drug". Former President Bill Clinton admitted smoking pot during his Oxford University days. He famously joked, however, that he "didn’t inhale". Governor George Pataki, Mr Bloomberg’s current sidekick, wrote in a memoir that he and some of his student colleagues at Columbia Law School tried pot by cooking it with baked beans and eating it. They eventually resorted to a more conventional method. "And yes, I did inhale," wrote Gov Pataki. Other luminaries who admit dabbling in the substance include ex-presidential candidate Al Gore and Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker. Mr Bloomberg, who last weekend attended New York’s Tartan Day celebrations alongside Sir Sean Connery, was a pupil at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore from 1960 to 1964. There he joined a fraternity that he once described in his autobiography Bloomberg by Bloomberg as "not much different from those in the classic John Belushi movie Animal House". He wrote: "Though Hopkins was a serious place, and very competitive scholastically, we did drink and party a lot together. Maybe all that enjoyable wasted time had long-term benefits after all." Source: Scotsman (UK)Author: Mark Coleman In New York Published: Wednesday, April 10, 2002 Copyright: The Scotsman Publications Ltd 2002Contact: Letters_ts scotsman.comWebsite: http://www.scotsman.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:NORMLhttp://www.norml.org/NORML's Ad - Pictures & Articleshttp://www.freedomtoexhale.com/ad.htmA Potshot at Mayor - NYDNhttp://www.freedomtoexhale.com/nyd.htmNew York Mayor Featured in Pro-Marijuana Ad http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12481.shtmlMayor Puts Face To Pro-Marijuana Campaign http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12479.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #10 posted by Hope on April 11, 2002 at 16:24:40 PT future of the prohibitionists I wonder if what has happened to Arsenio might be the model for the future of the antis. They attack, humiliate, and abuse only to get their clay feet broken and later come dragging themselves back on the scene... pathetically pleading, "Oh, I like marijuana, too. It's not really as horrible as I said. I know better now. Please accept me." [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by Lehder on April 11, 2002 at 09:21:15 PT a very good policy from kaptinemo ...I wouldn't consider for a moment spending any money in NYC.get 'em where it hurt$, and let them know about it too.take a vacation in the netherlands or portugal. write to bloomberg, let him know you've cancelled your reservations in ny and that you hope he bankrupts the city with his asinine drug law enforcement.my policies:-shop at the flea market where vendors probably report only a fraction of their incomes. fruit and vegetables and everything else are a lot cheaper there anyway. write to safeway and tell them you're supporting drug law reform.-buy european products. if you buy a refrigerator or dishwasher, buy a nice quiet one from europe; then write to GE and tell them you're supporting drug law reform as a consumer.-keep your old car as long as possible. write to gm and ford, tell them you're waiting for a hemp-powered vehicle.-if your employer supports the drug war, quit and find honest work. tell the boss why. -refuse to take piss tests. don't worry about it, just have a good laugh and tell them to suck off - it's fun and you'll feel great.-if someone asks for a favor, ask them how they feel about the drug war and maybe let 'em change that tire themselves.-just don't cooperate with people who support the drug war and don't let them have your money. know their politics, let them know it's their civil war. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by kaptinemo on April 11, 2002 at 06:17:41 PT: Another round of 'youthful experimentation' confessions...and on with the arrests!Every time I see some pol making such off-the cuff statements, I am reminded of this poster:Got coke? http://www.laugh2day.com/gotcoke.htmlConsidering how much our economy is actually symbiontically dependent upon infusions of dirty cash into the banking system so it can continue to offer loans and prop up corporations, we can't expect the pols to give up such a politically and socially convenient cash cow without a single moue...unless, of course, their indiscretions have bit them on the arse...as has Mr. Bloomberg's.(I say socially convenient because the Powers-That-Be get to continue to incarcerate the Underclass they helped to create and maintain...which is the biggest threat to their 'stability'.)Until this issue has been raised to the point Mr. Bloomberg backs off of the Giuliani-inspired harassment of cannabis users (by having his nose rubbed raw in his hypocrisy) I wouldn't consider for a moment spending any money in NYC. Until people like Bloomberg are hit hard in the wallet, they go their merry way, destroying lives and ruining careers. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by Hope on April 10, 2002 at 23:48:27 PT Arsenio Hall I used to like his show fairly well and watched it often. Of course I for sure tuned it in the night Willie Nelson was his guest. Willie had a new line of hemp clothing he intended to promote on the show. He had even brought out a shirt...probably to give to Arsenio. Arsenio Hall was devastatingly rude and cruel to Willie Nelson. He attacked him about promoting drugs and hurting the children, the whole awful kit and caboodle. Willie was obviously stunned. He was completely mortified...but gracefully so. He handled it very gracefully. Hall had just recently, at that time, been made honorary chair or something of some anti-drug group and he just thought he was so damned popular that he could attack and embarrass Willie Nelson and get away with it. It was horrible to see. I felt so bad for Willie. He might as well have slapped him three or four times right there on stage. He attacked a decent, unsuspecting, venerable American icon. I was enraged and NEVER watched his show again. Apparently a lot of folks felt the same way because very soon it disappeared from the air. It was several years before I ran across him again on Late Night or something. I had a lot of trouble believing it was Arsenio Hall. I was amazed at how squirrelly he acted, but most of all, by all his marijuana remarks and innuendos. I don't mean hateful remarks like he made to Willie that night either. The man is creepy. He ruined his career by publicly humiliating and castigating Willie worse than Rosie O'Donnell's attack on Tom Selleck. He ruined his own career by attacking someone for marijuana use and "promotion"...then comes sneaking back in acting like he's a big time marijuana smoker or something. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by mr greengenes on April 10, 2002 at 16:15:02 PT Arsenio I've also noticed that whenever Arsenio Hall is on the show, he, (Arsenio) goes out of his way to tell a marijuana related story or joke, and Jay just laughs right along. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by idbsne1 on April 10, 2002 at 09:29:58 PT Definitely..... I've been watching Jay Leno for years.....It is a constant joke/truth that the band loves their MJ....Jay ALWAYS cracks on them about that... very openly!!!! I dig that.....not much negativity, just humor....he also gets away with many sexual innuendos...especially the "weddings" if you've seen that bit.....very funny....idbsne1 [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by dddd on April 10, 2002 at 08:09:41 PT Jay Leno ..is always making light fun about Marijuana,,,and Kevin Eubanks sorta is an assumed Marijuana user...It's all left just nebulous enough to get in under the NBC network radar....dddd [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by letsgetfree on April 10, 2002 at 07:47:21 PT did anyone else... see As(s)a on CNN last night talking about this? He has a crazed look in his eyes that makes him look like the fanatic he is. He said that as long as the mayor stressed the point that marijane use was bad, and you should be arressted for it he wouldn't be mad at him. He said that marijuana was a "dangerous" drug that should be condemned and remain illigal. FoM have you found a transcript? it was sort of interesting to see how Judy From CNN didn't ask ANY though questions or refute any of AsSa's claims. Actually she was on the Daily Show later that night and it was laughable how she was acting like she was some professional journalist, but in reality Jon Stewart is just as credible, if not more so, then she is. MARIJUANA USE IS NOT DANGEROUS! who needs Osama when the US govberment does a good job on it's own terrorising it's citizens. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by boppy on April 10, 2002 at 07:38:24 PT I didn't see it I didn't see it but I bet GE (who own NBC) puts the clampdown on that. Maybe they won't but Letterman proved what a bunch of humourless bastards that they are a few years ago. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by bruce42 on April 09, 2002 at 21:04:46 PT yowza This story is really making the rounds... Considering the public attitude towards cannabis in certain areas of this country and abroad, I wonder if well be seeing more high profile types "fessing up" as it were once they see that Bloomeberg isn't going to be stoned to death in the streets cause he lit up. I wonder if it is now just a matter of time before we see politicians admitting to cannabis usage in order to gain public favor?Anyway, I know this is off topic, but I was checking the news and watching Leno, and I couldn't help but notice that his monologue and stuff were quite heavily laced with cannabis humor. i noticed the occasional pot reference in regards to his band leader, Kevin, but tonight was a new level. I think I even saw a clip of some guy growing some pot during a bit... can anyone confirm this? I don't know just seemed kind of odd to me, especially on a big show like Leno...maybe I'm just crazy [ Post Comment ] Post Comment