The Delaware Senate voted in favor of two bills that could legalize cannabis for adults and regulate its sales. House Bill 1, which was approved on Tuesday 16-4, would permit the possession of up to one ounce of cannabis for adults.
Meanwhile, HB 2, which was approved 15-5, would establish a framework for regulating adult-use cannabis sales. These bills were previously approved by the House with supermajority votes.
Support for cannabis policy reform has been growing among Delawareans for years as neighboring states have already legalized cannabis.
Olivia Naugle, a senior policy analyst at the Marijuana Policy Project, stated that she hopes Governor John Carney will consider the will of the people and allow Delaware to become the 22nd state to legalize cannabis.
Margins in both chambers would be enough to override a potential veto, as polling has shown that a supermajority of Delaware voters supports legalizing cannabis.
In 2022, Gov. Carney vetoed a cannabis legalization bill, making him the first Democratic governor to do so. However, the House of Representatives failed to override the decision.
Currently, 21 states have legalized cannabis for adult use, including neighboring states New Jersey and Maryland. Other states, such as Minnesota and New Hampshire, are also working on bills to legalize adult-use cannabis.
Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash.
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