mapinc.org
US: Young Gore Smoked Marijuana Regularly, Says Former
URL: mapinc.org
Newshawk: Martin Cooke
Pubdate: Sat, 22 Jan 2000
Source: Daily Telegraph (UK)
Copyright: Telegraph Group Limited 2000
Contact: dtletters@telegraph.co.uk
Website: telegraph.co.uk
Author: Ben Fenton in Iowa and Toby Harnden in Washington
Note: The DRCNet story cited in this article is online at
drcnet.org
YOUNG GORE SMOKED MARIJUANA REGULARLY, SAYS FORMER FRIEND
BOTH Democratic presidential candidates suffered setbacks yesterday when Bill Bradley was
forced to admit further heart problems and Vice-President Al Gore was accused of having
covered up a marijuana habit.
On the campaign trail in Iowa, Mr Bradley, a former professional basketball player, told
reporters he had suffered from instances of an irregular heartbeat four times since his
condition was first revealed six weeks ago.
"It's just the nature of the particular situation that, time to time, it [his heart] spins out," he
said, denying the recurrence of the problem had anything to do with the increased intensity of
the campaign in the build-up to the Iowa caucuses on Monday.
Mr Bradley's rival faced allegations that he had lied about the extent and period of his
previous drug use. John Warnecke, a former close friend, told an internet magazine: "Al
Gore and I smoked regularly, as buddies. Marijuana, hash.
"I was his regular supplier. I didn't deal dope, I just gave it to him. We smoked more than
once, more than a few times, we smoked a lot. We smoked in his car, in his house, we
smoked in his parents' house, in my house... we smoked on weekends."
Although Mr Gore had previously admitted smoking marijuana occasionally until he was 24,
Mr Warnecke claimed the vice-president took the drug regularly up to the week he first ran
for Congress in 1976 at the age of 28.
While disclosures of past marijuana use are no longer in themselves damaging for
Democratic presidential candidates, the claims have prompted allegations of lying and
hypocrisy that could harm Mr Gore's campaign. Mr Gore is leading Mr Bradley by 60
points to 27, according to a national opinion poll . The vice-president leads by 54 to 33
points in Iowa, the state where the first presidential nomination contest will be held.
Bradley aides tried to play down the importance of their candidate's heart condition. But the
health of presidential candidates is always subject to intense scrutiny because of the stresses
that life in the White House bring. Whereas most voters, left to the privacy of the ballot box,
are unlikely to linger on relatively trivial matters, the imminence of the Iowa caucuses makes
the timing of this health scare particularly bad for Mr Bradley.
Caucus voters gather in small groups and debate the minutiae of each candidate's campaign
and personality. In such a forum, the issue of health is much more likely to influence a
voter's mind, according to political analysts.
Mr Bradley issued a medical report after the initial incident of irregular heartbeat which said
he was in very good health. It was ironic that, of all the candidates for the presidency, the
only one who made his living as a professional sportsman should be the first to face serious
questions about his health. |
