Michael Bloomber on Marijuana: Legalizing "Another Addictive Narcotic" is Perhaps "Stupidest Thing Anybody has Ever Done.

Speaking at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, on Tuesday, Bloomberg said on the subject, according to WBNG-TV:
"We have a different kind of problem in America, for example. Last year, in 2017, 72,000 Americans [overdosed] on drugs. In 2018, more people than that are OD-ing on drugs, have OD'd on drugs. And today, incidentally, we are trying to legalize another addictive narcotic, which is perhaps the stupidest thing anybody has ever done. We've got to fight that, and that's another thing that Bloomberg Philanthropies will work on it in public health."

The position from the billionaire politician would seem to be out of step with Democratic leaders in his state and liberal voters nationwide. Newly re-elected New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, for instance, said he would make legalization a priority in a December speech outlining the goals for his first 100 days of his new term.

Recent polls meanwhile have shown a comfortable majority of Americans support legalizing the recreational use of marijuana. A Gallup poll released in October found that 66 percent of Americans support legalizing the drug, including three-in-four Democrats.

"Like support for gay marriage—and in prior years, interracial marriage—support for marijuana legalization has generally only expanded, even if slowly, over the course of multiple decades—raising the question of where the ceiling in support might be," the Gallup poll noted. "As the percentage of Americans who favor legalizing pot has continued to grow, so has the number of states that have taken up legislation to allow residents to use the substance recreationally."