Delaware’s Democratic lawmakers are making another push to legalise recreational marijuana and establish a regulated market.
On Friday, legislators in Delaware filed legislation to establish the business and legalise possession of up to an ounce of marijuana for anyone 21 and older.
In June, the House attempted to override Democratic Gov. John Carney’s veto of legalising legislation but failed. Despite failing twice in the House last year, legalisation is necessary to create a state-licensed and regulated marijuana market.
Several progressive Democrats were elected in November, and on Friday, the bill’s principal supporter, Representative Ed Osienski, voiced optimism that he has enough votes to legalise recreational marijuana in Delaware.
Osienski expressed optimism, saying, “I am quite hopeful that this year we have more support to see this through.” “I’m happy to say that we’ve recently recruited several new members. Now we’re bursting with renewed vitality.”
However, Carney has not changed his stance on the issue of legalising marijuana for recreational use. House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf, a Democrat from Rehoboth, is still against legalisation, but according to Osienski, he has indicated that he will support the industry bill if his colleagues pass legalisation.
According to Osienski, the bills submitted on Friday are essentially identical to those that were proposed but ultimately failed to pass the legislature in 2017.
Following the House’s rejection of sweeping legislation in March 2017 to legalise and regulate the business, Osienski submitted two distinct bills to do just that.
That allowed the legalisation law, which Carney had vetoed, to pass with a simple majority vote. Because it introduces a new tax in the form of a 15% levy on retail sales, the industry law necessitates a three-fifths supermajority in order to pass.
The industry bill allows for up to 30 retail licences, 30 manufacturing licences, 60 cultivation licences, and 5 testing licences to be issued by state officials at the beginning of the sector. It has set aside “social equity” and “microbusiness” licence pools for those who qualify. However, citizens wouldn’t be allowed to cultivate their own cannabis for recreational use.
Osienski, a Democrat from Newark, has maintained that the industry law will result in more well-paying jobs, more tax revenue, and fewer illegal sales.
Marijuana’s detractors claim that if the drug were legalised at the state level, more young people would start using it, shop owners would be open to lawsuits, and more people would be killed or injured in car accidents. They also argue that it would be ineffective in preventing illegal trade.
Both bills have been praised for their inability to alter current DUI regulations and for prohibiting the use of marijuana in public. They further claim that companies can conduct drug tests on staff to check for marijuana use and then reprimand workers who test positive for being high at work.
