GORE DOWNPLAYS POT-SMOKING CLAIM

DAVENPORT, Iowa--Vice President Al Gore denied Monday that he had
smoked marijuana regularly, even daily, with a Tennessee friend as
late as 1976 as the man now contends.

The question came up when a reporter said to Gore at a dinner: "It's
been reported that after you came back from Vietnam you were smoking
on a daily basis."

Gore responded, "No. When I came back from Vietnam, yes, but not to
that extent....This is something I dealt with a long time ago. It's
old news."

Gored said in 1987, during the 1988 presidential campaign, that he had
used marijuana on infrequent occasions, the last time about 1972.

The controversy arises from an upcoming biography, "Inventing Al Gore"
written by "Newsweek" reporter Bill Turque, and from reports on the
Web that Gore used the drug more and longer than he has previously
acknowledged.

A Tennessee man, John Warnecke, was quoted by the online magazine
"Salon" saying he had covered up for Gore in the past but wanted to
set the record straight. Warnecke alleges he and Gore regularly smoked
pot together as reporters at "The Tennessean in Nashville.

"I've been living with this for years and feeling horrible about
it...," Warnecke said. "I like Al. I'm going to vote for him."

"Newsweek's" editors allegedly had intended to run excerpts from the
book, but became concerned about the credibility of Warnecke,
described as depressive and a recovering alcoholic by Salon.com.

Warnecke now describes Gore as regularly smoking pot until he first
ran for Congress in 1976.

Former Sen. Bill Bradley, Gore's opponent in the Democratic primaries,
also has acknowledged smoking marijuana in the past. Earlier in the
campaign, Texas Gov. George Bush stated that he would have passed a
drug test for the last 25 years but ruled off limits any questions
about earlier years.