POSTER BOY FOR POT - THIS HE'S NOT ENJOYING

Legalization Group Quotes N.Y. Mayor

New York - So this is what they mean by the "new NORML."

A year ago, New York magazine asked billionaire media magnate Michael
Bloomberg whether he had ever smoked pot. "You bet I did, and I enjoyed
it," Bloomberg replied in the shoot-from-the-lip-style that, along with his
celebrity lifestyle, made him famous.

But now that Bloomberg is mayor of New York City, he is less than pleased
to find himself the poster boy for a pro-marijuana campaign. The quote was
spotlighted Tuesday by NORML --- the National Organization for the Reform
of Marijuana Laws --- in new ads demanding that police stop arresting and
jailing people for carrying less than an ounce of pot.

NORML, the Washington-based group that has fought to decriminalize
marijuana use since 1970, said such users should get only a citation
similar to a traffic ticket.

The $500,000 campaign includes radio spots and full-page advertisements in
The New York Times. The first ad appeared Tuesday, and the campaign
eventually could include signs on subways and bus shelters.

Beside the quote, the ad features a photo of Bloomberg's face, displaying
his typical half-smile.

In the ad's text, Bloomberg is lumped in with former President Bill Clinton
and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who also admitted smoking pot,
according to NORML. Unlike Clinton, the Republican Bloomberg did inhale,
although he didn't say when. "I'm not thrilled they're using my name,"
Bloomberg said at a news conference Monday. "I suppose it's that First
Amendment that gets in the way of me stopping it."

But the mayor, known for having dated singer Diana Ross and actress Marisa
Berenson, insisted that police would continue to vigorously enforce the
drug laws.

Under Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who pressed a zero tolerance policy, police
arrested 50,000 people for marijuana possession last year, compared with
fewer than 2,000 a decade ago.

Keith Straub, NORML's director, said the group wanted only to make its case
and never intended to embarrass the mayor.

He urged New Yorkers to contact Bloomberg and thank him for his candor.

Straub also said, "We cannot have two systems of justice in America, one
for the rich and famous and one for the rest of us."