JAB AWAY

Bill plays defense in their final debate

“I have a very firm opinion that we need to legalize marijuana,” said Albanese, citing tens of thousands of arrests for low-level pot possession that have continued under de Blasio, overwhelmingly targeting blacks and Latinos.

Hizzoner opposes legalizing pot — and said he’d smoked it only “once or twice while I was at NYU” and doesn’t “currently.”

“Some days, I wish I did,” he quipped.

Albanese, saying he hoped he didn’t sound like “a square,” said despite his stance on the issue, he’s never smoked pot.

“I went to college where everybody was smoking it around me. I just couldn’t ingest smoke in the lungs,” he said.

In another stark disagreement between the two Democrats, Albanese pushed for congestion pricing, which would charge drivers to enter the most congested parts of the city to raise money for mass transit.

“It’s irresponsible not to do that. The traffic situation is out of control,” he said.

De Blasio opposes the policy — and insisted the millionaires’ tax he has proposed to fund the MTA “can and will pass,” even though the state Senate has said it won’t happen.

“I’ve never supported congestion pricing. I think it’s a regressive tax,” de Blasio said.

Albanese is a former Brooklyn city councilman who has run for mayor twice before, and was taking his best shot at unseating the heavily favored incumbent after bigger-name Democrats took a pass on running. He was the only Democratic challenger to qualify for a primary debate according to Campaign Finance Board rules.

Hopefuls who didn’t make the cut — including Bo Dietl, Robert Gangi and Mike Tolkin — made their case to the public outside the debate hall. “He can’t bitchslap me the way he does Sal Albanese,” said Dietl, an ex-detective running as an independent

after failing to register as a Democrat in time.

The faceoff took place at the CUNY Graduate Center and aired on CBS2 News, and was sponsored in part by the Daily News.

The pols found one last thing to disagree on in baseball, where de Blasio admitted his “faith has been shaken” by accusations his beloved Boston Red Sox used an Apple Watch to steal signals from the Yankees.

“If these allegations are true, they absolutely should be punished,” he said.

Albanese felt no such inner conflict. “I hate the Red Sox,” he said.

I went to college where everybody was smoking it around me. I just couldn’t ingest smoke in the lungs. SAL ALBANESE