Delaware Bill Legalizing Recreational Marijuana Clears House Committee
This article originally written by Digital Content Intern Yusra Asif. Asif, is a senior media communications major at the University of Delaware, working as the associate news editor at The Review and a broadcast news reporter at the Student Television Network at UD.
Delaware bill legalizing recreational marijuana for adults cleared the House committee on Wednesday, March 24, as a majority Democrat committee voted in favor, sending the bill to the house floor.
The bill legalizes possession and use of up to 1 ounce (28 grams) of marjijuana for adults over 21. Delawareans will not be allowed to grow their own plants, and driving under influence will be prohibited. The bill also includes a marijuana tax known as a “control enforcement fee” of 15% at the point of sale
While the bill would create a state-controlled and licensed pot industry, Gov. John Carney has expressed concerns over it.
“The governor’s position hasn’t changed,” Carney spokesman Jonathan Starkey said in an email statement to the Associated Press. “He supported decriminalization and an expansion of Delaware’s medical marijuana program. But he still has concerns about legalizing recreational marijuana.”
It is however unclear if Carney would veto the bill when it reaches his desk.
The bill would create an Office of Marijuana Control Commissioner to regulate the industry and would initially authorize 30 retail store licenses, 30 manufacturing licenses, 60 cultivation licenses and five testing facility licenses.
As per the Associated Press, Licenses for retail, testing and product manufacturing facilities would cost $10,000 every two years. Cultivation licenses would depend on the size and of the facility and type of ownership, ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 every two years.
Several other states in the Mid-Atlantic region recently legalized recreational marijuana like Virginia and New Jersey, with Maryland well on its way to legalization as well.