Delaware Lawmakers Seek Marijuana Consumer And Business Input Ahead Of State’s Legal Sales Launch Next Month

Two Delaware lawmakers who led the push to legalize marijuana are now
seeking input from consumers and businesses as the state’s commercial
retail market prepares to launch on August 1.

The idea is to identify any hiccups that lawmakers might need to address
when they return for next year’s legislative session.

House Majority Whip Rep. Ed Osienski (D)—the primary sponsor of HB 1 and HB
2—and Sen. Trey Paradee (D), who also sponsored the legalization
legislation, have put out a new online form for residents to share thoughts
and feedback anonymously.

Hosted on a Delaware Senate Democrats website, the input form says that
“whether you are a customer or a retailer, we want to hear your experience
with Delaware’s adult-use cannabis sale rollout.”

The lawmakers said the aim of the outreach, first reported by Delaware
Online, is “so that we may better advocate for any needed policy
adjustments in the state legislature when we return in 2026.”

Lawmakers in 2023 passed HB 1 and HB 2 to legalize and regulate adult-use
cannabis—bills that then-Gov. John Carney (D) allowed to become law without
his signature.

Regulators last month announced that legal cannabis sales to people 21 and
older would begin on August 1.

“The start of legal adult-use marijuana sales reflects the tireless efforts
of our regulatory team and our strong partnerships with state agencies,
industry stakeholders, and community leaders,” Marijuana Commissioner
Joshua Sanderlin said in a press release, adding that the state’s focus “is
on building a safe, equitable, and accountable marijuana market that
delivers real benefits to Delawareans.”

Offering products will be all seven of Delaware’s existing medical
marijuana operators, which have since converted to adult-use retailers.
There are at least 13 locations across the state expected to be open for
recreational sales next month.

Current Gov. Matt Meyer (D) has cheered the development, recently saying
that “Delaware has taken a major step forward by launching a legal
adult-use cannabis market that prioritizes equity, safety, and
accountability.”

“This new industry will generate critical revenue to strengthen our
schools, infrastructure, and public health systems, while creating real
opportunities for entrepreneurs,” the governor said. “This revenue also
gives us a powerful tool to invest in the communities most impacted by the
war on drugs, addressing past wrongs and ensuring that the benefits of this
new market reach every corner of our state.”

The state’s Office of the Marijuana Commissioner (OCM) initially projected
that recreational sales would start by March, but complications related to
securing an FBI fingerprint background check service code delayed the
implementation. Lawmakers passed a bill in April to resolve the issue, and
the FBI subsequently issued the code that the stat’s marijuana law requires.

Late last year, OMC held a series of licensing lotteries for cannabis
business to start serving adult consumers.

A total of 125 licenses will ultimately be issued, including 30 retailers,
60 cultivators, 30 manufacturers and five testing labs. Last year,
regulators also detailed what portion of each category is reserved for
social equity applicants, microbusinesses and general open licenses.

Regulators have also been rolling out a series of proposed regulations to
stand up the forthcoming adult-use cannabis industry.

Meanwhile, Carney raised eyebrows in January after making a questionable
claim that “nobody” wants cannabis shops in their neighborhoods, even if
there’s consensus that criminalization doesn’t work.

The then-governor last year signed several additional marijuana bills into
law, including measures that would allow existing medical cannabis
businesses in the state to begin recreational sales on an expedited basis,
transfer regulatory authority for the medical program and make technical
changes to marijuana statutes.

The dual licensing legislation is meant to allow recreational sales to
begin months earlier than planned, though critics say the legislation would
give an unfair market advantage to larger, more dominant businesses already
operating in multiple states.

In October, Carney also gave final approval to legislation to enact
state-level protections for banks that provide services to licensed
marijuana businesses.

Delaware’s medical marijuana program is also being significantly expanded under
a law that officially took effect last July.

The policy change removes limitations for patient eligibility based on a
specific set of qualifying health conditions. Instead, doctors will be able
to issue cannabis recommendations for any condition they see fit.

The law also allows patients over the age of 65 to self-certify for medical
cannabis access without the need for a doctor’s recommendation.

*Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.*

The post Delaware Lawmakers Seek Marijuana Consumer And Business Input
Ahead Of State’s Legal Sales Launch Next Month appeared first on Marijuana
Moment.