Delaware task force will study adult-use cannabis legalization

Delaware’s General Assembly has passed a resolution creating an Adult Use Cannabis Task Force to study “a model for regulation and taxation” of a legalized recreational marijuana program in the state.

The resolution, approved Saturday, directs the group to study specifics such as taxes, banking issues, local authority and control, packaging and labeling requirements and consumer safety, WMDT reported. The group will report on its findings to the assembly and governor.

The panel’s inaugural meeting must be no later than Sept. 7, 2017, and its report is due by Aug. 31, 2018, according to the TV station.

State Sen. Rose Henry and Rep. Helene Keeley – who earlier in the year sponsored legislation to legalize adult-use cannabis – will chair the 23-member committee, according to WMDT.

The panel also will include, among others:

  • A representative from the state’s MMJ industry appointed by the governor
  • A medical marijuana advocate appointed by the governor
  • The chair of the Medical Marijuana Oversight Committee
  • The attorney general
  • The state bank commissioner

Delaware passed a medical marijuana bill in 2011, but the first dispensary didn’t open until 2015. The state now has two operational dispensaries, both owned by First State Compassion Center. A third dispensary – whose license is owned by national dispensary chain Columbia Care – is hoping to open this fall, according to The News Journal of Wilmington.