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Published February 26, 2015

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., blasted former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush late Wednesday for what he called "hypocrisy" on drug policy ahead of this weekend's Conservative Political Action Conference.

Paul, who like Bush is considering whether to seek the 2016 GOP presidential nomination, contrasted Bush's opposition to legalizing medical marijuana with his admitted drug use while a student at Phillips Academy, an elite prep school in Andover, Mass.

"When Jeb was a very wealthy kid at a very elite school, he used marijuana but didnt get caught, didnt have to go to prison." Paul told "The Kelly File" Wednesday. "I think it shows some hypocrisy thats going to be very difficult for young people to understand why wed put a 65-year-old guy in jail for medical marijuana."

"What Im talking about is not the hypocrisy of wealth, its the hypocrisy of evading the law, because the law seems to target and seems to go after poor people, often people of color," Paul continued. "Whats hypocritical is if youre very wealthy, [if] youre able to escape the long arm of the law is then to really want to throw long sentences, 15 years, 20 years, 50 years in prison for marijuana at people, so I think thats where the hypocrisy comes in."

Last year, Bush opposed a proposed amendment to the Florida state constitution that would have legalized medical marijuana in the state. The measure came up short of the 60 percent threshold needed to be approved by voters.

Both Paul and Bush will be appearing at CPAC, which will be held in National Harbor, Md., outside Washington, D.C. Paul has won the event's straw poll in each of the past two years.

Link:
Rand Paul slams Jeb Bush for drug 'hypocrisy' - KURTZ: How much does Walker's Iowa lead mean?

Rand Paul has always been somewhat of a rock star at the Conservative Political Action Conference which, in past years, has shown a decided libertarian bent.

This year, Paul is hoping for more of the same. The Republican senator from Kentucky will address the conference Friday, laying out more of his signature message of small government and personal freedom.

"We must remember that our rights are unlimited, un-enumerated, and given to us by God," Paul will say, according to excerpts of his speech. "Your rights are who you are. Your rights are what you are. Your rights are in your DNA and the government can -- quite frankly - get lost!"

The potential 2016 presidential candidate has been widely embraced at the conference, bringing in throngs of supporters wearing "Stand with Rand" gear and handily winning its straw poll for the past two years. The conference has been a family affair of sorts; Paul's father, former Texas congressman Ron Paul, won the straw poll in 2010 and 2011.

Rand Paul cited familial ties on Fox News on Wednesday - but not his own. Instead, he took aim at former Florida governor Jeb Bush, a rival who will be looking to solidify his standing among the Republican base at the event.

Paul said that Bush's having a father and brother who were both president "tends to draw some attention," but he believes that Bush may have some issues at CPAC.

"We think there will be a lot of friendly faces for us. There's definitely a place for moderates, but it may not be the same level of enthusiasm for moderates at this conference," Paul said on "The Kelly File."

Paul has made clear that one of the core audiences he is trying to attract both at the conference and beyond is young people. Paul said that he can't predict the poll but that he has spent a "lot of time going to universities, talking to young people" about how the "government ought to stay out of their lives." It's a message, he said, that resonates with them.

Referring to another potential GOP presidential candidate. Paul said he did not know much about Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, but he continued to hit Bush, saying that young people are "not very tolerant of hypocrisy." The idea that Bush admitted that he smoked marijuana while "in an elite prep school" but is "willing to put somebody in jail for medical marijuana," Paul said, won't play well among young people.

Katie Zezima covers the White House for Post Politics and The Fix.

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Rand Paul at CPAC: The government can quite frankly get lost!

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Rand Paul: Running for President #39;not Really a Lot of Fun #39;
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Rand Paul: Running for President 'not Really a Lot of Fun' - Video

In 2012, Texas Republican Rep. Ron Paul was a force to be reckoned with in the presidential race. His group of supporters - including many young voters - was limited, but passionate. Though he wasn't considered a serious contender for the Republican nomination, he had a strong showing in both the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary, finishing third in Iowa with 21.5 percent of the vote and second in New Hampshire with 22.9 percent.

Now his son, Texas Sen. Rand Paul, is contemplating his own presidential bid. Both men come from the libertarian wing of the party, though Doug Wead, who has worked for both Pauls, calls the elder Paul a "classic libertarian" and the younger one a "practical libertarian."

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And while Ron Paul was generally viewed as someone who ran for president to prove a point, his son could be a serious contender for the nomination. What he has to do is navigate the tricky dance of keeping his father's supporters engaged and on his side while attracting a whole other group of voters who might not have given Ron Paul a chance.

"His dad's base is not going to be enough,so he's got to find ways to expand the base and become, if not the favorite of different factions of the party, at least acceptable," University of New Hampshire Political Science Professor Dante Scala told CBS News. "He has to do that in such a way that doesn't make his father's base voters feel as if they're being betrayed or that Ron Paul's legacy is being compromised."

Politics isn't the first arena where Paul has followed in his father's footsteps. Like Ron Paul, who had a medical career that preceded his first run for office, Rand Paul also started out in the field of medicine. He was always active in politics, serving in the Young Conservatives of Texas club during college at Baylor University. He left for Duke University to attend medical school before completing his undergraduate degree, and he opened an ophthalmology practice in Bowling Green, Kentucky, after he completed his residency.

All the while, though, Paul was helping his father with his congressional campaign and 2008 presidential bid, and he started a group called the Kentucky Taxpayers Union in his home state. His rise coincided with the rise of the tea party in 2009, and in 2010 he defeated Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson, the establishment pick for Kentucky's vacant Senate seat, to become a senator.

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Rand Paul's balancing act: What to do with Ron Paul's legacy?