Sen. JD Vance's home state of Ohio voted to legalize recreational marijuana in November by a healthy margin without the senator's support.
That vote on statewide Issue 2 is now at odds with thoughts former President Donald Trump shared at a press conference Thursday. Vance is now Trump's running mate in his bid for another term in the White House against Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
Nearly 60% of Ohio voters also disagreed with Vance.
In an interview with conservative Christian talk show host Bob Frantz in Cleveland, Vance said he would be a "no" vote on Issue 2.
"That's why I'm a "no" on Issue 2. I want people to not bring this everywhere that kids walk around, play. I want to be able to go to my job. I want to go to do normal things without being slammed in the face with the smell of weed," Vance said.
Vance said he thinks cities in states that have legalized recreational marijuana like Denver and San Francisco have become "open air drug markets." He said he doesn't want to walk around Columbus, Cincinnati or Cleveland and do the same.
Vance said he doesn't think people who are caught "with a joint" should be thrown in prison.
"If you're caught with a joint, I don't think you should be thrown in prison for it. Even though... I strongly discourage my friends and family to smoke marijuana. Okay, I think that its side effects are much more significant than people let on," Vance said.
Vance's stance in November contrasts with comments Trump made Thursday at a press conference in Palm Beach, Florida at Mar-a-Lago.
When asked about the upcoming vote in Florida this November that could legalize recreational marijuana, Trump did not say how he would vote. But Trump signaled openness to supporting legalizing marijuana in some form as more states do so individually.
"As we legalize it, I start to agree a lot more. Because you know, it's being legalized all over the country. Florida has something coming up. I'll be making a statement about that very soon," Trump said.
"But as we legalize that across the country, whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, it's awfully hard to have people all over jails that are in jail right now for something legal," Trump said.
WOSU reached out to Trump's campaign and Harris' campaign for comment, but did not hear back before deadline.
On top of Trump's Thursday press conference, legalized sales at nearly 100 Ohio dispensaries started this week. Many customers crowded the dispensaries on the first day.
Vance's stance is also at odds with his Democratic counterparts.
Vance's Ohio counterpart Sen. Sherrod Brown spent over a month mulling his stance on marijuana. Brown announced his support of marijuana legalization in Ohio after he voted early.
Walz signed a bill into law legalizing recreational marijuana in Minnesota in August of last year.
