Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Wednesday managed to nudge former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) into discussing his past marijuana use.
Paul began by explaining his belief that marijuana legalization should be left up to the states, and then suggested that someone else on the stage may have used weed in their youth.
"Forty years ago I smoked marijuana and I admitted it," said Bush. "I'm sure other people did it and didn't want to admit it in front of 40 million people."
Bush has previously admitted that he smoked pot as a teen in high school at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. Minutes after his comments Wednesday night, he tweeted an apology to his mother, former first lady Barbara Bush.
The exchange came during a broader debate about states rights and marijuana laws. While Bush has personally campaigned against medical marijuana, he agreed with Paul that states like Colorado should be allowed to decide marijuana laws for themselves.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) suggested that the president should force states to abide by federal drug laws, which consider marijuana to be among the most dangerous substances.
Read the latest updates on the GOP debate here.
Also on HuffPost:
