The same Jeb Bush who opposed Florida’s medical marijuana initiative in 2014 enjoyed the herb liberally when he was in a swanky Massachusetts private high school, The Boston Globe reported over the weekend.
The Globe’s extensive take-out on the former Florida governor and possible presidential candidate’s time at the Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., is worth a read. A few of the tasty bits about Jeb Bush’s former affinity for cannabis:
Classmates said (Bush) smoked a notable amount of pot — as many did — and sometimes bullied smaller students.
“The first time I really got stoned was in Jeb’s room,” (classmate Peter) Tibbetts said. “He had a portable stereo with removable speakers. He put on Steppenwolf for me.” As the rock group’s signature song, “Magic Carpet Ride,’’ blared from the speakers, Tibbetts said he smoked hash with Bush.
He said he once bought hashish from Bush but stressed, in a follow-up e-mail, “Please bear in mind that I was seeking the hash. It wasn’t as if he was a dealer, though he did suggest I take up cigarettes so that I could hold my hits better, after that first joint.”
Bush previously has acknowledged what he called his “stupid” and “wrong” use of marijuana. In the years since, he has opposed efforts to legalize marijuana for medicinal or recreational use.
Jeb Bush, in an interview for this story, recalled it as one of the most difficult times of his life, while acknowledging that he made it harder by initially breaking a series of rules.
“I drank alcohol and I smoked marijuana when I was at Andover,” Bush said, both of which could have led to expulsion. “It was pretty common.” He said he had no recollection of bullying and said he was surprised to be perceived that way by some.
