A few weeks ago, Delaware’s House of Representatives rejected the demands of Big Pot by opposing the commercialization of marijuana. This vote continues what is now a five-year trend of lawmakers in the First State putting public health over addictive drug profits. But they should remain vigilant — Big Marijuana will try to bring this back to a vote, and they should reject them again.
The marijuana of today is not the marijuana of the past. Just a few decades ago, marijuana was 2%-5% potent. Now, marijuana products are often as high as 99% potency. Gone are the days of “Woodstock weed”; now, the industry is taking its cues from Big Tobacco by hiring powerful lobbyists from companies like Altria, the parent company of Marlboro and Juul.
The consequences for public health and safety from these developments and increases in potency are dire. There are over 20,000 peer-reviewed articles linking marijuana use to severe mental health outcomes, ranging from depression to psychosis. Marijuana use also has consequences for physical health and inhibited cognitive development.
Despite the valid health and safety concerns Delaware residents have about legalizing marijuana, industry advocates insist that revenue from pot sales will outweigh any costs. Not only should we never sell out the health of our children, but the promise of significant tax revenue coming from legalization is a lie.
Tax revenue from marijuana in California makes up just 0.63% of the state budget. California has struggled to compete with the illicit market, which led San Francisco to delay their cannabis business tax late last year. That isn’t the cash cow the people of California were promised by legalization advocates.
Research suggests that legalization can hurt the state economy. In Colorado, one study found that, for every dollar earned from legalization, $4.50 was spent dealing with the negative effects. Delaware, a state with a strong and growing economy, shouldn’t ruin its progress by falling for the industry myths about legalization and tax revenue.
The main reason Big Pot pushed for the reintroduction of the legalization bill this year is because they believe they have found lawmakers’ Achilles’ heel: social equity. Yet in states that have already legalized, social justice priorities have gone by the wayside.
Just look at Illinois: In 2020, not one minority-owned business made it to the final round of consideration for new marijuana licensing. In Vermont, the state Cannabis Control Board voted against favoring entrepreneurs in economically distressed communities when considering licensing. This bias toward the White and wealthy spans nationwide, as more than 81% of industry business owners are White.
Marijuana is already decriminalized and legalized for medical or therapeutic use in Delaware. Legalization has nothing to do with social justice; it is purely a matter of normalization of pot use for business and profit. Instead of tackling the core of injustice issues, marijuana activists are ready to sell the future of Delaware to predatory companies.
For Big Pot, deceitful tactics are the rule, only this time they are facing an unusual situation, since major officials in Delaware, such as Gov. Carney, acknowledged the dangers of legalization. “We spent all this time and money to get people to stop smoking cigarettes, and now, we want to say it’s OK to just smoke marijuana recreationally,” the governor said.
Gov. Carney is right.
Delaware lawmakers made the right decision once already this year by rejecting legalization. If another bill is put forward this session, lawmakers should continue to stand firm in opposition. Delaware residents deserve to live in a state that prioritizes public safety and public health over corporate greed.
Dr. Kevin Sabet is president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana and a former senior drug policy adviser to the Obama administration. He is also the author of “Smokescreen: What the Marijuana Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know.”
