Marijuana Policy Project on John Kasich:
Grade: C-
Ohio Gov. John Kasich announced he is running for president on July 21, 2015.
Where does he stand?
Gov. Kasich is “totally opposed” to marijuana legalization, including the use of marijuana for medical purposes.
He believes states should “probably” have the right to establish their own marijuana policies and would not challenge state laws regulating marijuana for medical or adult use.
What has he said?
When asked about states that have adopted laws making marijuana legal for adults: “The people in those states have voted that way. The federal government has decided to kind of look the other way. I feel very strongly in my state, I’m going to oppose, and they’re going to put something on the ballot to legalize drugs. I’m totally opposed to it, because it is a scourge in this country. Now I would have to give it thought as to, I probably would not from the standpoint that the states have gone forward to prove that. I haven’t thought about this. I’d have to give it a little thought. … In my state and across this country, if I happened to be president, I would lead a significant campaign down at the grassroots level to stomp these drugs out of our country.” HughHewitt.com, April 21, 2015
“[The] answer is, no, I am not in favor of [medical marijuana].” WLWT, March 19, 2014
“On medical marijuana, doctors that I know tell me we don’t need that, there are other ways to [treat pain].” OhioCapitalBlog, March 30, 2012
