Mitt Romney 'Tasted A Beer And Tried A Cigarette Once As A Wayward Teenager'

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney admitted he tried alcohol and cigarettes as a teenager despite Mormon prohibitions against drinking and smoking.

"I tasted a beer and tried a cigarette once as a wayward teenager, and never did it again," Romney says in an upcoming interview with People magazine.

Romney said that his aversion to drugs and alcohol was "a religious thing."

In the past, drugs and alcohol have been a contentious issue with politicians. President Bill Clinton caused a stir when he famously claimed he "didn't inhale" when asked about trying pot as a student.

Years later, President Barack Obama said he "never understood that line" from Clinton and admitted he had tried pot -- and inhaled. "That was the point," Obama said.

Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, also a Republican presidential candidate, has also explicitly talked about his experimentation with drugs and alcohol, saying he "never exhaled" while smoking pot.