Mayor Bloomberg (ZUMAPRESS.com)
Mayor Bloomberg got huffy and puffy today discussing medical marijuana, describing efforts to legalize it as one of the greatest scams in history.
“Medical, my foot,” the mayor said, clearly not referring to an ailment of his own.
“There’s no medical. This is one of the great hoaxes of all time.”
An aide later explained that the mayor is concerned that recreational users would be able to access a system intended only for those with medical needs.
“The bottom line is, I’m told marijuana is much stronger today than it was 20, 30 years ago,” Bloomberg said on his weekly WOR radio show. “That’s one problem. No 2, drug dealers have families to feed. If they can’t sell marijuana, they’ll sell something else. And the something else will be something worse. The push to legalize this is wrongheaded.”
The mayor has had some first-hand experience in this arena.
While running for office in 2001, he admitted to experimenting with pot in his younger days.
“You bet I did — and I enjoyed it,” he boasted.
State Sen. Diane Savino, who is pushing state legislation to legalize medical marijuana, offered to bring patients living with pain to City hall to demonstrate the need for weed-based relief.
“We’re talking about people with terminal illnesses, seizure disorders,” she said. “We’re not talking about recreational use.”
Saviono also said the bill she is co-sponsoring with Assemblyman Richard Gottfried would be amended to limit the number of marijuana producers to 10 statewide, with bar codes on every plant to restrict distribution.
Only those in severe need would be eligible to get legal dope, she added.
“We’re not talking about just getting a prescription because you have a hangnail,” she stressed.
Nineteen states already have medical marijuana statutes on the books.