Joe Kennedy explains to Jimmy Kimmel why he differs from many Dems on marijuana

Rep. Joe Kennedy III said he knows he's an "outlier" among Democrats who favor legalizing marijuana, but the Massachusetts lawmaker stands firm on his position.

"I realize my views on this are not exactly in line with [other Democrats]," Kennedy said in an interview on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Wednesday night. "I think the part of the impact of when you talk about the law is to make sure that you get the border cases right."

"I do have concerns about what an increase in availability of legal marijuana means for adolescents and what it means for folks who struggle with addiction and mental health."

Kennedy, 37, acknowledged how some of those concerns could be used to support a case to criminalize alcohol as well, but he said he supports a person's right to drink.

"I don't drink, but obviously it's OK that everybody else does," he said. "I think, Jimmy, it's something that if we're going to move towards legalization, we have to be thoughtful about what that means.

"I acknowledge the fact that I'm an outlier on this, but I just think it's something we want to be careful and deliberate about as we go forward."

Kennedy gained national attention earlier this year when he gave the Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address and his extra-shiny lips stole the show.

"The biggest takeaway for me from that experience is it has solidified for me the generosity, the compassion and the caring of the American public," the congressman said. "I have gotten tubes of Chapstick from every damn corner of the country."