Ayotte on Marijuana Legalization: “I Do Not Think It Is Good for Our Quality of Life”
At a debate with legalization backer Cinde Warmington, New Hampshire's governor pointed to young brains, traffic deaths and a black market that never left.
New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte used a debate last week to restate her opposition to marijuana legalization in blunt terms, pointing to youth mental health, traffic deaths and a black market that legalization has not erased.
“The research is unbelievable on the impact of mental health for young brains. In states that have adopted this, they have seen more traffic deaths, the illegal market does not go away,” Ayotte said, according to the Union Leader. “I do not think it is good for our quality of life.”
The Republican incumbent spoke Oct. 22 at a New Hampshire Public Radio forum in Manchester opposite Democratic nominee Cinde Warmington, who backs legalization. New Hampshire is the only New England state that does not allow recreational marijuana.
Ayotte also warned about the signal legalization sends to kids. “When you legalize something, you send a very different message to young people about the use of it,” she said, as quoted by The Dartmouth.
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What the research says about Ayotte’s marijuana claims
Her mental health point has strong backing. A 2023 study led by Danish researchers and the National Institute on Drug Abuse drew on health records from more than 6.9 million people. It estimated that up to 30 percent of schizophrenia cases among men ages 21 to 30 might have been prevented by averting cannabis use disorder.
Next door in Massachusetts, emergency room visits for cannabis intoxication or poisoning among children 6 to 12 rose more than sevenfold after retail sales began, a Mass General study found.
In Connecticut, the share of drivers killed in crashes who tested positive for marijuana climbed from 32.8 percent before legalization to 37.9 percent after, according to a recent study.
Her black market point holds up too. New York’s illicit market may run 10 times larger than its legal one, five years after legalization.
What it means for voters
Ayotte has vowed to veto any legalization bill. This year she also vetoed a bill letting medical marijuana businesses grow in greenhouses, writing, “I do not support expanding the cultivation of marijuana in our state.” Lawmakers overrode her.
New Hampshire picks its governor Nov. 3. That same day, Massachusetts voters decide whether to shut down the very pot shops Warmington wants New Hampshire to copy.
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