Marco Rubio Won't Say If He's Smoked Pot

Senator Marco Rubio stonewalled ABC News' Jonathan Karl when the reporter asked if he has tried marijuana in an interview published Monday.

"Here's the problem with that question in American politics. If you say that you did, then suddenly there are people out there saying, 'Well, it's not a big deal. Look at all these successful people who did it,'" Rubio said. "On the other side of it, if you tell people that you didn't, they won't believe you. So it's just a worthless question."

Karl insisted he would believe Rubio if he said he didn't try the drug, but the Florida senator again demurred.

"I understand why it's a question that people today think that they need to ask," Rubio replied. "But the bottom line is I don't think people should smoke marijuana."

Rubio went on to add he not only opposes marijuana legalization, but he doesn't believe there is any "responsible" method of consuming the drug recreationally.

"I don't want my kids to smoke marijuana," Rubio said. "I don't want other peoples' kids to smoke marijuana. I don't think there is a responsible way to recreationally use marijuana."

"When something is legal, implicitly what you're saying [is] it can't be all that bad. Because if it's legal, it can't be bad for you. The bottom line is that I believe that adding another mind-altering substance ... is not good for the country. I understand that people that have different views on that but I feel strongly about it," the potential Republican presidential contender argued.

Rubio is widely seen as a potential Republican presidential hopeful in 2016. Many past presidential contenders, including Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, have admitted to trying marijuana in their younger days.