Delaware 22nd State to Pass Recreational Marijuana Bill

Despite his opposition to the bills, Delaware Gov. John Carney on Friday said he would let two bills that legalize marijuana and create a recreational industry become law without his signature.

He said he is standing down from his opposition to recreational weed that put him at odds with his party.

Delaware is the 22nd state to legalize recreational marijuana, marking a milestone in President Joe Biden’s home state after a nearly decades-long fight by advocates and Democrats to loosen restrictions on marijuana.

Carney, in a statement, said he still believes legalizing weed is “not a step forward.”

“I want to be clear that my views on this issue have not changed,” the governor said in a statement, reports USA Today.

Carney said he could not sign the bills because of his concerns about the consequences recreational marijuana will have on children’s health, as well as roadway safety. Along with Delaware House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf, the governor is the rare Democrat to oppose weed legalization.

Marijuana, in the quantity of personal use, becomes legal starting Sunday. Delawareans will be allowed to smoke joints, eat gummies and consume weed as they wish in private. It will still be illegal to consume marijuana in public, and employers are still allowed to have a zero-tolerance policy. Recreational weed will not be available for purchase in the state for at least 16 months.

The Delaware General Assembly in March passed two marijuana-related bills: House Bill 1 legalizes the “personal use quantity” of marijuana, which varies by cannabis form, for people ages 21 and older. This is defined as 1 ounce or less of leaf marijuana, 12 grams or less of concentrated cannabis, or cannabis products containing 750 milligrams or less of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol.

The second bill, House Bill 2, creates and regulates the recreational marijuana industry in Delaware. Within 16 months of the legislation going into effect, the state will distribute 30 retail licenses through a competitive bidding process.

There will be a marijuana-control enforcement fee of 15 percent on recreational sales. This money, lawmakers say, will create grants and services that focus on restorative justice and reducing the state’s prison population.

Last year, Carney vetoed a bill to legalize marijuana that the legislature sent to his desk. He said at the time that the law wasn’t in “the best interest of the state” despite the issue’s popularity within his own party.