Delaware Legalizes Marijuana – Who’s Next?

As of Sunday, Delaware, who say they are the first state to legalize weed. The state, whose motto is Liberty & Independence, will legalize the sale of marijuana as the 22nd legal state. You’ll be able to reap tax benefits, help veterans and other medical marijuana patients, and just relax after a busy week.

Marijuana in the amount for personal use will become legal starting Sunday. Delaware residents will not be able to purchase recreational cannabis in the First State for at least 16 months. It will remain illegal to use marijuana in public, and employers will continue to have a zero-tolerance policy.

In March, its General Assembly passed two marijuana-related bills: House Bill 1 legalizes the “personal use amount” of marijuana, which varies by cannabis form, for people 21 and older. This is defined as 1 ounce or less of marijuana leaves, 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 law’s enactment, the state will allocate 30 retail licenses through a competitive bidding process.

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Delaware Gov. Carney said in a statement he still believes legalizing weed is “not a step forward.” I want to make it clear that my views on this subject have not changed. And I understand that there are those who share my views and will be disappointed by my decision not to veto this legislation.

“I have come to this decision because I believe that we have spent far too much time focusing on this issue while Delaware residents face more serious and pressing concerns every day. It’s time to move on.”

According to the Pew Research Center, an overwhelming proportion of US adults (88%) say marijuana should either be legal for adult medical and recreational use (59%) or that it should be legal for medical use only (30% ). According to a Pew Research Center poll conducted October 10-16, 2022, only one in ten (10%) say marijuana use should not be legal.

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So who’s next? The Minnesota Senate voted on legalizing recreational marijuana for the first time on Friday, bringing the proposal closer than ever to legislation. The House of Representatives approved its marijuana bill last Tuesday.

“Minnesotans are ready. The settings change. Now is the time to reverse decades of ineffective and harmful bans,” said Sen. Lindsey Port, DFL-Burnsville, who sponsored the marijuana bill and wore a lime green suit to commemorate Friday’s vote.

Gov. Tim Walz has pledged to sign the law into law if the legislature is successful, making Minnesota the 23rd state to fully legalize recreational cannabis. One issue that has caused disagreement among Minnesota lawmakers is local control for cities and counties that refuse to accept legal cannabis. The bill, approved by the House of Representatives, will not allow municipalities to halt marijuana trade or directly revoke operators’ licenses.

RELATED: Legal marijuana leads to more jobs and economic improvements — here’s how