Editor's Note: This seems a bit contradictory considering Gov. Kasich probably enjoys a few drinks here and there, at the very least (maybe he doesn't, but it's not a stretch to say he probably does) ... and considering the fact that alcohol is a drug, one that is included in the National Institute on Drug Abuse's analysis and use monitoring. So, does Kasich propose that the nation reinstate alcohol prohibition? Well, actually, in April, he demonstrated more leniency toward alcohol consumption than many state legislators have or will. He signed into law HB 47, a bill "to allow for cities in Ohio with more than 35,000 people to have designated areas for people to carry open containers and drink alcohol in public."
Oh ... Kasich also must have missed the recent poll that found "Fighting Marijuana Legalization Is Bad Politics."
Update 09/02/15, 4:23 p.m. Kasich told MLive.com: "I would try to discourage the states from doing it [legalizing marijuana]. Hopefully we'll defeat it in Michigan and Ohio, but if states want to do it ... I haven't made a final decision, but I would be tempted to say I don't think we can go and start disrupting what they've decided."
Ohio Governor and presidential hopeful John KasichOhio Governor and presidential hopeful John Kasich
"It sends mixes messages to young people about drugs," Kasich told MLive.com on Tuesday as he wrapped up a two-day swing through Michigan. "I don't think we should do that. We need to tell young people to stay off drugs."
Kasich acknowledged the distinction between marijuana and harder drugs like heroin but suggested that legalization could cloud the issue for young people.
"So some drugs are okay but others aren't? We've got kids. Why don't we just say don't do drugs, period," Kasich said.
