Before, over half of the US population were legally allowed to purchase and smoke marijuana. Now, it’s getting closer than ever to half the states in the USA allowing legal weed as well.
Democratic Governor John Carney has said he personally doesn’t support legalizing marijuana in his state, but stood aside and chose not to veto a bill that would do so.
In neighboring New Jersey, which has only had legal weed for a year, they’ve already brought in $20 million in tax revenue.
Delaware was one of the early pioneers of medical marijuana, legalizing use in that form back in 2011, so they already have an encouraging blueprint.
But strangely, Carney vetoed an almost identical bill for weed legalization just one year ago. However, the Democrats this year have more state house seats, making an override of his veto possible. Most likely Carney just didn’t want to put up a fight and said almost as much, noting that he needed time to focus on more pressing issues effecting his state.
Carney said, “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.”
A 15% tax will be added to all sales, and in a show of typical governmental sluggishness, the first shop won’t be able to open until 13 month to the day the law goes into the effect.
Marijuana momentum has shown mixed results when appearing on the ballot, which is why state legislation might have been the smartest approach for legalization advocates to take.
In 2022, five states hosted legal marijuana on their ballot. Three states defeated the measure, while two states voted in support. 2022 saw Missouri and Maryland fully legalize the plant, while North Dakota, South Dakota and Arkansas all sent the measures down to defeat. Hard to predict which way the wind will be blowing, but you just might be able to smell it over in Delaware.
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