Rubio: No ‘responsible way’ to smoke pot

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said asking whether a politician has ever tried marijuana is a “worthless question” in American politics.

Rubio, a potential 2016 candidate for president, has consistently dodged the question about if he experimented with the drug as a younger man. In an interview that aired Monday from ABC News-Yahoo News, Rubio reiterated that answering the question honestly is a lose-lose.

{mosads}”Here is the problem with that question in American politics,” he said. “If you say that you did, suddenly there are people out there saying it is not a big deal, look at all these successful people who did it. And I don’t want my kids to smoke marijuana. And I don’t want other people’s kids to smoke marijuana. I don’t think there is a responsible way to recreationally use marijuana. On the other side of it, if you tell people that you didn’t, they won’t believe you. So it is just a worthless question.”

He added: “I understand it is a question today that people think they need to ask, but the bottom line is, I don’t think people should smoke marijuana.” 

The Florida senator said he decided against answering the question after a conversation he had following the publication of his book, An American Son, in which he wrote about his mediocre grades in high school.

“Someone came up to me and said, ‘You know, I enjoyed your book, but I want you to know, my son came up to me and said he doesn’t have to get good grades in high school, because look at Marco Rubio, he didn’t do well in high school and look how successful he’s been,’ ” he said. 

Rubio, an opponent of legalization, made similar comments earlier this year.

The drug has been decriminalized in a number of states and legalized in Colorado and Washington. Rubio said federal law drug laws should be enforced there.

“And the bottom line is, I believe that adding yet another mind-altering substance to something that’s legal is not good for the country,” he said. “I understand there are people that have different views on it, but I feel strongly about that.”