MAYORAL MARIJUANA MARTYRDOM

Last year, before he was elected mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg
unwittingly made a statement that would greatly affect his political
career. He said, "You bet I did. And I enjoyed it." This statement was made
in response to a New York Magazine reporter who asked whether Bloomberg had
ever smoked marijuana. Now, the quote is being used against the mayor in an
enormous ad campaign by the National Organization for the Reform of
Marijuana Laws. The campaign began with a full page color advertisement in
the Tuesday, April 9 edition of The New York Times.

Bloomberg is, of course, worried that such a campaign means political
suicide, and it is very possible that it will, but this would be a great
shame because Michael Bloomberg is now my hero. I have smoked marijuana and
enjoyed it, and I am not ashamed of it. Furthermore, I urge every person
who has smoked marijuana and enjoyed it to make it publicly known.

Both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush faced similar questions in the course
of their presidential campaigns. Clinton's response was very evasive, in
true politician style: "I didn't inhale." I don't believe this at all. I
think Clinton probably smoked marijuana and enjoyed it. More than once.
When Bush was questioned about allegations that he had been a cocaine user,
his response was less dishonest but just as evasive--he declined to answer
the question. I have a feeling Bush smoked marijuana, snorted cocaine, and
enjoyed both.

Regardless of their drug use, Clinton was a good president and Bush has
turned out to be one, in terms of satisfying constituencies. Furthermore,
Clinton carried on a functional presidency after being impeached and Bush
has maintained order in a post-Sept. 11 America. Their experiments in the
world of illegal narcotics did not and have not impeded their success.

Bloomberg, too, has used illegal drugs and has been a successful, popular
mayor, in spite of criticisms during his campaign that as a businessman, he
would not be able to adjust to the world of politics. This turned out to be
all too true. The Mayor was not able to put a politician's spin on his
answer to the age-old "in-or-out" question of drugs. It is sad that
Bloomberg's tendencies as a successful, honest businessman may indeed ruin
his chances at reelection in a way that nobody could have ever imagined.
According to a 1999 study by the Core Institute, 32.5 percent of college
students used marijuana within the year they were surveyed, and 18.7
percent had done so within the past month. Should all these future leaders
of America have to hide their drug use or sacrifice any chance at ever
holding public office?

Although Bloomberg told The New York Times, "I'm not thrilled they're using
my name," he has not stated that he is against the campaign on principle.
Therein lies the essential catch-22 of drug law reform: No candidate who
supports it has much hope of being elected to office, and therefore, few
politicians openly support it. Bloomberg has been inadvertently forced to
serve as the proverbial sacrificial lamb, and, if this event does ruin his
future political career, his political suicide should not be wasted--it
could very well help bring long-overdue reforms to drug laws.

Furthermore, there is a chance, albeit a small one, that the mayor's career
as a politician is not as doomed as it probably would have been if this ad
campaign had occurred before his election to office. Bloomberg's term has
only just begun and he has more than three years left to make it clear
that, although he has admittedly smoked and enjoyed marijuana, he is a good
mayor. Perhaps future mayors of New York will be able to admit that they
smoke marijuana and make sure this is common knowledge before their election.

There are no studies proving light marijuana users to be less capable than
light alcohol users of functioning successfully in society, nor are there
studies proving heavy marijuana use to be more dangerous than heavy alcohol
use (in fact, part of the problem is that such studies would have too many
legal impediments to be performed).

Mayor Bloomberg can be the martyr who changes this, whether he wants to or
not, but he cannot do it alone. E-mail me at youbetihave@yahoo.com to let
me know if you too smoked and enjoyed marijuana. Provide your name and let
me know if you would mind your name being published. Mike has smoked
marijuana and so have I. We both enjoyed it. Who else?