This year, Delaware advocates and lawmakers came the closest they ever have to legalizing recreational marijuana in the state.
But Gov. John Carney’s refusal to support recreational marijuana ultimately crushed the dream of legalization, landing the bill amongst the countless other failed attempts over the past several years.
Here’s what happened.
This year’s first effort for legalization came in March.
Rep. Ed Osienski of Newark introduced a sweeping bill to legalize recreational marijuana and regulate the subsequent industry. However, the bill did not capture enough votes, with a few Democrats either not voting or voting no, and zero support from the Republicans.
However, Osienski did not let that stop him. In April, he introduced new legislation, essentially splitting the previous bill into two: one bill that legalizes the possession of less than one ounce of marijuana for people over 21 and another that regulates the recreational marijuana industry. Essentially, the idea was that splitting the bill into two would allow a greater chance of passage by the General Assembly, while also keeping all the ideas of the original bill intact.
Momentum grew for legalization of recreational marijuana in Legislative Hall in the subsequent weeks. The general assembly passed the legalization bill. However, a veto of the bill from Gov. John Carney, a vocal opponent of legalization efforts, remained a possibility as advocates celebrated this first win.
The bill that would regulate the recreational marijuana industry soon faced setbacks, as the absence of a single legislator meant the bill would not pass. That day, however, Osienski, the sponsor of the bill, changed his vote to “no” to allow the bill to be voted upon again at a later time.
But that didn’t end up mattering.
How close did it get?
Just days later, Governor Carney announced that he would be vetoing the legalization bill. This left legislators with no reason to revote on the regulation bill.
Though many Democrats seized on the opportunity to override Carney’s veto, the party ultimately failed to do so. Carney got the last word on marijuana this year, with many Democrats falling in line with the Governor’s orders and voting “no” to the override.
WHAT HAPPENED:House Democrats fail to override governor’s weed veto, killing chances of legalization
If the General Assembly continues to do as told by the governor, recreational marijuana will not be legalized until at least 2025, when Carney leaves office.
