Jeb Bush admits during debate: 'I smoked marijuana'

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Jeb Bush made an announcement during the CNN Republican debate that he's pretty sure ticked off Barbara Bush: "I smoked marijuana."

Bush shared this personal tidbit after he was asked about enforcing federal laws against marijuana in places like Colorado, where it is legal. Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) declared: "There's at least one prominent example of someone on stage who said they smoked pot in high school, yet the people going to jail for this are poor people, often African-Americans and often Hispanics, yet the rich kids who use drugs aren't. I personally think this is a crime where the only victim is the individual."

Moderator Jake Tapper asked if Paul would like to name the "hypocrite," and Bush piped up with: "He was talking about me... Forty years ago I smoked marijuana and I admit it. I'm sure that other people might have done it but might not want to say it in front of 25 million people; my mom's not happy that I just did."

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Don't worry about a rift in the Bush family; Jeb quickly apologized to his mother, via Twitter. Catherine Garcia

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.