Delaware lawmakers on Wednesday filed a newly revised marijuana legalization bill that has several changes from a previous version that passed a House committee last year but stalled ahead of a scheduled floor vote amid disagreements about equity provisions. Rep. Ed Osienski (D) is sponsoring the legislation again. It would allow adults 21 and older to purchase and possess up to one ounce of cannabis, but it would not provide a home-grow option. A marijuana commissioner under the state Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Enforcement would be responsible for regulating the cannabis market and issuing business licenses for retailers, cultivators, manufacturers, and laboratories. Equity is built into the licensing scheme. After 19 months of the bill’s enactment, regulators would have to approve 30 retailer licenses, half of which would go to people identified as social equity applicants who have been disproportionately impacted by cannabis criminalization, for example. There would also be a 15 percent excise tax on retail cannabis sales, which would not be applied to medical marijuana products. Seven percent of tax revenue from adult-use sales would go to a new Justice Reinvestment Fund, and the legislature would be tasked with appropriating the remaining revenue after administrative costs are covered.
Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 01/13/2022 16:33:00