Marijuana regulation bill fails in Delaware House

A bill establishing a structure for regulating the production and sale of marijuana failed in the State House Thursday.

State Rep. Edward Osienski’s (D-Newark) bill would have imposed a 15% tax on marijuana sales and created a limited number of licenses for sale, cultivation and testing.

Osienski underscored he also sought to address the disproportionate impacts of criminalizing marijuana on Black Delawareans.

“The past two years, we have listened to concerns from communities that for decades have been negatively impacted by the prohibition on marijuana,” he said.

But because the bill involves state revenues, it required a two-thirds majority vote to pass. It failed with 23 votes in favor and 15 against. Osienski changed his vote to “no,” which allows him to reintroduce the bill again before the end of this year’s legislative session.

A bill legalizing the possession of small quantities of marijuana recently passed with no regulations for sale or cultivation, leaving Delawareans to either buy marijuana in New Jersey or from the illicit market.

When the simple legalization bill passed the state Senate last week, its senate sponsor, Sen. Trey Paradee (D-Dover), said he would withdraw his support if the companion bill to regulate marijuana sales did not pass. [Read more at Delaware Public Media]