- NYC Mayor-elect
Eric Adams brought some party gifts to his CBS "Late Show" appearance Tuesday. - Adams, a former cop, gave Colbert two sets of rolling papers.
Although dispensaries and authorized "consumption sites" are a long way off from making their debut in the Big Apple,
Adams, a former captain in the NYPD, brought out a gift bag as a sort of tourism promotion for New York City, where he will take over as its 110th mayor of in January.
Under the current New York cannabis law, people can smoke pot anywhere where cigarette smoking is also allowed.
"One of my best gifts," Adams said as he pulled the rolling papers from his bag. "As you know, marijuana is legal."
"I did not know!" Colbert replied. "I am not aware, Mr. Mayor. I'm not into that scene."
Playing to the crowd, Adams continued rolling out the paraphernalia.
"I have RAW, I have Bamboo, and I can't give you this gift — I'll give it to you later," the mayor-elect said, referencing a packet he pulled from his pocket, hinting at it being marijuana.
Like many New York Democrats, Adams has evolved in his views on cannabis over the years. He told Gov. Kathy Hochul to "bring the joints" in celebration of her moves to expedite the legalization process that stalled under former Gov. Andrew Cuomo as he was plagued by several scandals.
Adams has touted legalization as a great economic opportunity for the state, but has cautioned that use among children should be protected against vigilantly and that quality of life issues do not become a concern with the drug's legal status.
A longtime police reform advocate going back to his days in the NYPD force, Adams went semi-viral during the primary campaign for a PSA video he put out during his days in the state Assembly, where he teaches parents how to search their kids for drugs and guns.
Embracing part of his mayoral role as a cheerleader for NYC tourism, Adams had a much more lighthearted tone on Colbert Tuesday night.
After presenting Colbert with the stacks of rolling papers, a blanket for celebrating New Year's Eve in Times Square, and a T-shirt bearing his motto "GSD NYC" — as in "get shit done" — Adams offered the host free Broadway tickets for the 25th anniversary of the show "Chicago."