New Hampshire Governor Says Federal Marijuana Rescheduling Won’t Change Her Opposition To Legalization

“My position has been, and continues to be, that we should not legalize marijuana in the future.”

By William Skipworth, New Hampshire Bulletin

On Monday, President Donald Trump said his administration is considering reclassifying marijuana—a drug that’s been legalized for recreational use in a growing number of states over the past decade and a half.

While New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte (R) said she’d respect the federal government’s decisions, she doesn’t plan to push for legalization on the state level in New Hampshire.

“If federal law changes, I have to comply with federal law,” Ayotte told reporters Wednesday. “But my position has been, and continues to be, that we should not legalize marijuana in the future.”

Her concerns are multifold.

“As a mother, as someone who worked as a prosecutor in this area, my concerns are quality of life,” Ayotte said. “The impact on the mental health of youth, and also they can’t measure it when it comes to road safety.”

Unlike with alcohol, where a breathalyzer can determine if you’re under the influence at a specific moment in time, there isn’t a way for police to measure the level of marijuana in a driver’s system. Ayotte worries about a potential increase in car crashes, citing other states that have legalized the drug for recreational use.

Indeed, a 2023 study from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health examined seven states that had legalized recreational marijuana and four saw a substantial increase in crash fatalities, with a 10 percent increase in motor vehicle accident deaths on average in those states.

Other studies have come to similar conclusions, though some marijuana advocates, including the Marijuana Policy Project, dismiss those concerns and argue other factors, such as distracted driving, not wearing seatbelts, and speeding, are bigger contributors to crash fatality increases, citing different (but older) studies.

Advocates of marijuana legalization argue the drug is much less dangerous than other hard drugs; that legalization keeps people seeking the drug from entering the black market; and ending criminal penalties reduces overincarceration.

Marijuana is currently illegal in New Hampshire for recreational use, but is legal for medicinal purposes. Nationwide, it is legal for recreational purposes in 24 states and for medicinal purposes in 39.

“If the federal law changes, I also hope they address that core safety issue, because that’s important to me,” Ayotte said.

This story was first published by New Hampshire Bulletin.