He hasn’t announced a run for the 2016 POTUS spot, but many are anticipating it. In the past, character has been scrutinized in POTUS candidates and drug use has been a hotly debated. The last three presidents admitted to smoking, in their youth, and it would appear that the stigma has left the controversy, at least, in part.
As POTUS candidates come out of the wood work, so will media begin to dig into their pasts to uncover any juicy skeletal remains of the misspent youth.
In this case, Ted Cruz is the subject of a Daily Mail article that outlines his family history and some questionable decisions of his own youthful indiscretions.
Not only did Ted smoke pot, he was also cited for underage drinking, a fact that was exposed in 2003.
The Houston Chronicle reported in January that Sen. Cruz was ticketed for underage alcohol possession when he was 17, after police found an unopened case of beer in his car.
He listed the offense on an application to become the Texas solicitor general in 2003.
Cruz addressed the incidents as:
‘Teenagers often make foolish mistakes, and that certainly applied to me as well,’ Cruz told Buzzfeed when the document surfaced.
The Daily Mail also lists the “foolish mistakes,” and denials, of several other high profile would-be candidates.
It was ‘when he was a teenager,’ Cruz’s spokesperson told Daily Mail Online; ‘It was a mistake, and he’s never tried it since’
Rick Perry, Donald Trump and John Bolton say they have never smoked pot; Rand Paul hints that he ‘wasn’t a choirboy’ – but won’t answer directly
Marco Rubio refuses to answer, saying no one will believe him if the answer is ‘no’; Carly Fiorina will only say she opposes legalizing weed
Spokesmen for Govs. Scott Walker and Gov. Chris Christie, and former neurosurgeon Ben Carson, ignored questions entirely
Bush told the Boston Globe on Friday that he had smoked pot as a teenager at his elite prep school
It will be interesting to watch the debate, considering Barack Obama was given a complete pass on the issue as an admitted pot smoker, and with so much of the youth vote in America, now advocating for legalization.