Delaware Legalization To Take Effect Without Governor’s Signature
April 25, 2023Delaware governor John Carney will not veto the recreational cannabis legislation recently passed by the state congress. The Democratic governor has been vocally against recreational legalization and derailed the legalization process in the last congressional session. However, faced with the possibility of another veto being overridden by the legislature, Carney will allow the two bills to become law, albeit without his active support.
“In the coming days, I will allow House Bill 1 and House Bill 2 to be enacted into Delaware law without my signature,” Carney said in a statement. “These two pieces of legislation remove all state-level civil and criminal penalties from simple marijuana possession and create a highly regulated industry to conduct recreational marijuana sales in Delaware. As I’ve consistently said, I believe the legalization of recreational marijuana is not a step forward. I want to be clear that my views on this issue have not changed. I came to this decision because I believe we’ve spent far too much time focused on this issue, when Delawareans face more serious and pressing concerns every day. It’s time to move on.”
As written, the two laws ban homegrowing and public consumption. The initial set of cannabis retail licenses would be capped at 30, effective for the first 16 months after the laws are implemented. Recreational cannabis sales will carry a 15% sales tax. Localities will be able to ban cannabis businesses from operating within their boundaries as well. With Delaware’s addition, recreational legalization continues its steady march along the East Coast.—Danny Sullivan
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