Dover, Delaware (AP)-Delaware Governor John Carney has vetoed a bill that would legalize the possession of marijuana by adults for recreational use.
While vetoing the proposal, Carney reiterated his earlier concerns about the legalization of recreational weed, a concern that did not deter fellow Democrats from a General Assembly approval of the law.
“I recognize that marijuana can have a positive impact on people with certain specific health conditions and, for that reason, I continue to support the Delaware medical marijuana industry,” Carney said in a statement to the State House. . “I support the decriminalization of marijuana because I agree that people should not be arrested for possessing only small amounts of marijuana for personal possession and consumption-and now, under the Delaware Depenalization Act, they are not.
“I don’t think it’s in Delaware’s best interest to promote or expand recreational marijuana use, especially among our youth. Questions about the long -term health and economic impact of recreational marijuana use, as well as serious law enforcement problems, remain unresolved.
Carney’s veto came days after legislation to create a state-owned marijuana industry in Delaware failed to clean up the state’s home a second time. The Democratic-controlled House voted 23-15 in favor of the bill on Thursday, two votes behind the required majority. The measure requires a three-fifths majority in both the House and Senate because it creates a new tax consisting of a 15% tax on retail sales of marijuana.
The vote came last week two months after a similar event failed to get a 23-14 vote in the House, and hours later Carney’s office passed the accompanying legalization bill. Without legalization, the creation of a state-owned cookware industry is a matter of doubt.
It’s unclear whether Democratic lawmakers will try to overcome Carney’s veto, which would be a rare occurrence. Lawmakers in Delaware last voted in 1990 to veto the veto. They finally succeeded in 1977, when the House and Senate supported the then government. Pete du Pont’s veto on the state budget bill.
Congressman Ed Osianski, a New York Democrat and major sponsor of both bills, said in a statement that he was “extremely disappointed” with Carney’s decision and considered his options.
Osiensky made legalization and industry creation proposals into two separate bills in late March after the House rejected broader legislation seeking both. This paved the way for the approval of the legalization bill, which did not include tax provisions and therefore required only a simple majority.
The legalization bill eliminated the Democrat -controlled Senate without Republican support. Senator Bruce Ennis of Smyrna was the only Democrat to join the opposition members of parliament. Two Democrats, including President Pete Schwarzkopf, supported the legalization bill in the House and 12 in the 15-member House of Representatives. Ennis and Schwarzkopf are both retired state soldiers.
Proponents of the state-owned marijuana industry argue that it will create jobs, increase the state coffers and reduce the illegal black market.
Opponents argue that legalizing and state -licensed cultivation and sale will increase marijuana use among adults and youth, hold traffickers accountable, and lead to more deaths and injuries. They also say that establishing a state market with a 15% retail tax will do little to eliminate illegal sales.
The Associated Press reported earlier this year that legalization has disrupted black market sales in California and some licensees are simultaneously participating in the black market to make a profit. The California governor has now proposed a temporary tax cut for the marijuana industry to help poor businesses.
Recreational use of marijuana is currently permitted in 18 states and the District of Columbia.
Source: Huffpost
