DAVENPORT, Iowa -- Al Gore denied on Monday that he had smoked marijuana regularly, even daily, with a Tennessee friend as late as 1976 as the man now contends.

The question came up when a reporter said to Gore at a diner: "It's been reported that after you came back from Vietnam you were smoking on a daily basis."

Gore responded, "No. When I came back from Vietnam, yes, but not to that extent. ... This is something I dealt with a long time ago. It's old news."

Gore said in 1987, during the 1988 presidential campaign, that he had used marijuana on infrequent occasions, the last time about 1972.

The Tennessee man, John Warnecke, was quoted by the online magazine Salon. He said he had covered up for Gore in the past but wanted to set the record straight. He still plans to vote for Gore, he said.