Ohio governor and presidential candidate John Kasich will be tested politically when voters in his home state get a chance to legalize marijuana through a ballot referendum this November.

Kasich has long opposed illegal drug use of all kinds, and said just months ago that he is still deciding whether he supports federally prosecuting states that allow recreational weed use.

“If I happen to be President,” said Kasich to conservative talk radio host Hugh Hewitt this past April, “I would lead a significant campaign, down at the grassroots level, to stomp these drugs out of our country.”

How much support such an effort would garner is questionable, seeing as the majority of Americans support marijuana legalization.

Nevertheless, Kasich went on to detail the scourge of heroin, and implied that all illegal drugs, marijuana included, are just as dangerous – though this claim has been disputed by the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Kasich concluded by telling Hewitt that despite his general respect for states’ and voters’ rights, he might follow the Christie and Rubio path of pursuing federal action against states that have decided to legalize. On the other hand, it’s still possible that Kasich will emulate Cruz and Paul, who believe states should choose whether or not to allow recreational and medical marijuana use.

As for his own state of Ohio however, Kasich plans to fight legalization tooth and nail.

Through his press secretary, Kasich informed National Journal that he is opposed to the upcoming Ohio constitutional amendment vote in question.

As The Daily Beast’s Betsey Woodruff noted however, Kasich may find some unlikely allies in his battle. This is because the constitutional amendment question, drafted by advocacy group ResponsibleOhio, is a very restrictive measure that critics say is driven by cronyism.

As Woodruff reported, “(The amendment) only allows for 10 pot farms, in specific geographic locations. And—big surprise!—the companies that own those farms are the major investors in the legalization campaign.” This has irked legalization advocates who believe the marijuana market should be open to any entrepreneur eager to participate.

Of the Ohio constitutional amendment, the president of the Colorado Cannabis Chamber of Commerce Tyler Henson said: “When you have only 10 growers to supply an entire state with such a large population as Ohio, there is bound to be price-fixing and collusion. You can’t stop that.”

While the anti-market aspects of the amendment are disappointing to many cannabis advocates, the initiative is particularly noteworthy because if passed, Ohio would be the first state to go from a full ban to complete legalization without an interim medical marijuana law.

As for Governor Kasich, his office has been unclear as to exactly what measures they would pursue to combat the law if passed. “Let’s have that discussion when there’s not an if,” his press secretary stated, implying that the governor’s current attention is fully focused on fighting the amendment’s passage. As Eric Garcia at National Journal noted however, “The ballot initiative could thrust marijuana further into the spotlight in the primary race.” Garcia went on to say:

“Kasich has at times shown a tendency to back down when voters push back against him, as was the case with a referendum against his stripping of collective bargaining rights for public employees. But in a ballot referendum right before primary season starts, Kasich may be split between listening to voters in his home state versus voters in Iowa or New Hampshire.”

Kasich has positioned himself as a moderate, embracing Medicaid expansion in his home state, and engaging in permissive if not positive discussions about marriage equality.

He has thus far, not staked out a similarly moderate position on marijuana, but political pressure could change that. Looking toward the future, 68% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 support full marijuana legalization.

Whether Kasich and other Republicans will evolve with the times on this issue is yet to be seen.