Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) took an unconventional approach in Tuesday’s GOP debate to winning America’s youth vote, telling them they could forget legalized marijuana and a subsidized college education under a Huckabee administration and gear up for military service instead.

As the candidates in the undercard debate duked it out over how to deal with the Islamic State, Huckabee defended his willingness to put troops on the ground.

“All over America I hear young people say, ‘Would you tell me what you’re gonna do? Would you get me free college? Would you make sure that I can have medical marijuana?'” Huckabee said. “You know what I think we oughta tell young people, ‘We aren’t gonna give you anything! We’re gonna give you the opportunity to get off your butt and go serve your country and secure your freedom because if you don’t, nobody else is.'”