Former U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R)— one of a handful of gubernatorial candidates in New Hampshire running this year to replace outgoing Gov. Chris Sununu (R)—said in a new interview that she opposes legalizing marijuana for adults, as a House-passed, Republican-led bill would do.
Speaking to local ABC affiliate WMUR, Ayotte replied in the negative when asked whether she would entertain the reform, claiming legalization would worsen the state’s fentanyl problem and lead to an epidemic of mental health conditions in young people.
“I don’t think legalizing marijuana is the right direction for our state,” said Ayotte, who represented New Hampshire in the Senate from 2011 to 2017 and was previously the state’s attorney general from 2004 to 2009.
The exchange occurred just days after lawmakers in New Hampshire’s Senate took up a bill from Rep. Erica Layon (R) that would legalize and regulate adult-use cannabis. Sununu, the current governor, has said he’s open the change, but not in the form passed by the House.
If the bill doesn’t become law this session, many expect the issue to be taken up in 2025, when a new governor will be in office.
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