DELAWARE (KYW Newsradio) — Two Bills that would legalize recreational marijuana in Delaware are now on Gov. John Carney's desk, but it isn't clear if they will become law.
The deadline for House Bill 1, which would legalize possession of up to an ounce of marijuana in the state, is April 22. The deadline for House Bill 2, which sets up an industry to sell pot products, is April 26.
Ed Osienki, the bills' sponsor representative, says even if Carney decides to veto them, there are enough votes for an override.
“If he did decide to veto the legislation, he would veto HB1 because the 10 days would be up first, and then I would hope he would wait to see what we do on the 25th before taking action on HB2 and we wouldn’t have to do an override on 2 bills,” Osienki said.
Osienski says many people who smoke weed recreationally are getting it from states where it is legal and Delaware is missing out on tax revenue.
"That's why legalization is important because Delawareans now have the choice to go to Maryland … or go to Jersey."
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Osienski says he wants to stop seeing people arrested for possessing cannabis, which the American Civil Liberties Union says disproportionately affects Black people.
"Delaware simply cannot arrest our way out of this."
Zoe Patchell, executive director of the Delaware Cannabis Advocacy Network, agrees.
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"A lot of times, the impact of cannabis prohibition is often minimized in the state of Delaware when the fact of the matter is, even post decriminalization, we're still seeing a disproportionate amount of arrests in poor and communities of color," Patchell said.
"The focus should be on ending the intrusive stops, embarrassing searches, and the penalties for consumers for conduct that is now legal in 21 states and the nation's capital."
KYW Newsradio reached out to Carney for comment, but did not hear back.