Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg is an American politician and former mayor of New York City.
In 2001, he admitted to trying marijuana, saying in an interview with New York magazine: "You bet I did. And I enjoyed it."
In April 2002, Bloomberg said he regretted making the comment. In a news conference at City Hall, he said: "What I said back then was the truth... In terms of, I had, certainly when I was younger, as I suppose most people in my generation, experimented. I never lie, so if somebody asked me a question, I told them. Do I, in retrospect, wish I didn't say it that day so they couldn't quote it? Of course."
He also clarified his positions on medical cannabis and the decriminalization of marijuana, saying: "I do not think that decriminalizing marijuana is a good idea... The problem is that once you go down a slippery slope, using drugs is probably a terrible idea, from where it goes, and I am very much in favor of enforcing laws on the books. I've always thought if we don't want to enforce laws on the books, we should remove them from the books. But when you have laws, you breed contempt if you don't enforce them. And I've listened to a lot of people over the years discuss the decriminalization of some narcotics, particularly marijuana, and on balance, I would side with those that think it's a bad idea."
In 2009, Bloomberg was included in Coed.com's list of the "10 Most Successful Potheads on the Planet... Cool Enough to Admit It".
In February 2013, Bloomberg endorsed Governor Andrew Cuomo's proposal to make a small marijuana infraction a violation instead of a misdemeanor, reducing legal consequences. He announced that, effective immediately, individuals arrested for marijuana possession (small amounts) would received a "desk appearance ticket" for their court date, rather than being held in jail overnight.
Bloomberg said in his State of the City address: "But we know that there’s more we can do to keep New Yorkers, particularly young men, from ending up with a criminal record. Commissioner Kelly and I support Governor Cuomo’s proposal to make possession of small amounts of marijuana a violation, rather than a misdemeanor and we’ll work to help him pass it this year. But we won’t wait for that to happen... Right now, those arrested for possessing small amounts of marijuana are often held in custody overnight. We’re changing that. Effective next month, anyone presenting an ID and clearing a warrant check will be released directly from the precinct with a desk appearance ticket to return to court. It’s consistent with the law, it’s the right thing to do and it will allow us to target police resources where they’re needed most."
