Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, known for brandishing his staunchly conservative views, coughed up to smoking marijuana as a teenager, NBC News has confirmed.

A spokesperson told the Daily Mail on Tuesday that the potential 2016 presidential candidate tried it in his teens, but did not elaborate on how many times.

“When he was a teenager, he foolishly experimented with marijuana. It was a mistake, and he’s never tried it since,” a spokesman told the paper.

The Daily Mail attempted to survey 10 Republicans considering a White House run, and Cruz was the only one to offer a new admission. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has also said he smoked marijuana in high school.

This article originally appeared at NBCNews.com