Marijuana business owners, users and advocates from around Delaware gathered in Dover on Tuesday morning to push the state government to allow businesses to open nearly two years after recreational weed was legalized.
More than 40 people organized by the Delaware Cannabis Industry Association stood outside Legislative Hall holding signs and listening to speeches. They said the state is allowing unsafe and unregulated marijuana to be purchased and used while a regulated statewide industry sits in limbo. Recreational, adult-use marijuana was legalized in 2023, but businesses have yet to open their doors.
All licenses have been handed out for now through lotteries. Now, background checks on all of the winners, including the seven licenses allowing for conversion from medical to recreational marijuana, are being done. According to the Office of the Marijuana Commissioner, the fingerprinting authorizations from Delaware State Police through the State Bureau of Investigation still need approval from the FBI. Those fingerprints are part of the required criminal background check performed on everyone awarded a license.
Any lottery winners who pass the current background checks will be given a conditional license. If they cannot become fully operational within 18 months, the license is likely to be rescinded. If they become operational, they are awarded an active license and can continue.
Read more at Delaware Online