Rubio says the "bottom line is that I don’t think people should smoke marijuana." | John Shinkle/POLITICO Rubio not answering pot question

Ask Sen. Marco Rubio whether he’s ever smoked marijuana, and the answer you’ll receive might seem a bit hazy.

In an interview with ABC and Yahoo News’ Politics Confidential published Monday, the Florida Republican and potential 2016 presidential candidate said that he will not answer the much-asked pot question.


“Here’s the problem with that question in American politics, if you say you did, suddenly there are all these people saying ‘Well, it’s not a big deal, look at all these successful people who did it,’” Rubio said, later adding, “On the other side of it, if you tell people that you didn’t, they won’t believe you.”

( POLITICO poll: Generational divide on marijuana, gay marriage)

Rubio claims that his decision to stay silent on his own marijuana use spurred from the publishing of his recent memoir “American Son,” where he admitted that he “wasn’t a very good high school student” and received only at 2.1 GPA.

“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,’” Rubio said.

Rubio said that this encounter affected him.

“I don’t want my kids to smoke marijuana, and I don’t want other people’s kids to smoke marijuana,” he said. “I think there’s no responsible way to recreationally use marijuana.

( On POLITICO Magazine: Welcome to America's drug lab)

Instead, Rubio offered his opinions on the legalization of marijuana, calling it a “mind-altering substance” that “is not good for the country,” stating that it leaves the potential for substance abuse.

When Politics Confidential’s Jonathan Karl told Rubio that he would believe the senator if he were to say he didn’t use marijuana in the past, Rubio responded:

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