Speak Up: Bill to legalize marijuana in Delaware to be filed soon

Legal recreational marijuana, long a pipe dream, could soon be reality in Delaware. Legislation that would allow adults to buy and consume cannabis in the First State is set to be filed in the coming weeks, and though passage is far from certain, the main sponsor is optimistic. While details are being finalized, Rep. Osienski is hopeful the measure will be officially introduced by the time lawmakers return March 9. Currently, 13 states plus Washington, D.C., offer recreational marijuana (not counting New Jersey, which approved legalization through a ballot referendum in November but has yet to put it in place), despite the drug being illegal under federal law.

• Come on, Delaware. You are going to lose a lot of money to New Jersey if you don’t. — Charlie Harper

• They’ve already lost billions dragging their feet like a bunch of dinosaurs. — Rick Reed

• Only reason they want to legalize it is so they can tax it. What next? — Joan Czeizinger-Sherrard

• It’s going to happen. They can see the cash rolling in for medical. — Ray Zelano

• Please add that we can grow a minimal amount for our own medical use! — Edis StillHere

• It should be legalized along the same lines as alcohol. — Gayle Dolinger

• So stupid. — Wanda Venable Smith

• Should be legal, and then, we don’t get the fentanyl-laced stuff. I am a medical marijuana patient, and the stuff that is not off the street is so much cleaner. — Chandler Robin Lee Stegner

• Before people jump on what a good idea this is, you had better look into your Second Amendment rights in relation to legal marijuana use. — Jackie Veal Cates

• That’s true but only on the medical side. Nothing has changed as of yet for recreational use. — Brady Allen

• We need the revenue. Pass it. — S.J. Hage

• Would passing this prohibit employers from terminating employees or potentially hiring employees? I’m all for making marijuana legal. It should have been done a long time ago. I just don’t know how it could potentially affect the workforce. That’s the bigger hurdle, I believe. — Craig Taggart

• I would hope it would be modeled on Colorado. Employers have a right to drug test you. It’s your risk. Their drug-tolerance policies will need to be revised to determine what levels are considered intoxication, just like they outline alcohol tolerance. — S.J. Hage

• If the employer is bound by federal regulations, they can still fire people for testing positive. For instance, the chicken industry is bound by federal FDA regulations; therefore, it is just cause to terminate someone for using marijuana. — Jackie Veal Cates

• I know that marijuana stays in your system for a lengthy amount of time, unlike alcohol. So that’s where I see the issue, until they can test you and determine the period in which you were partaking in the use of marijuana. — Craig Taggart

• I have no problem with this, but yet, I still can’t get wine shipped to my house? — Monica Prettner

• Exactly. That, too, should be passed in Delaware, having alcohol delivered here. — Matthew Mancari

• This should be nationwide. And I don’t even use it! — Cheryl Taylor

• No one should support this bill unless they allow home-grow. It is funny they say that they don’t want to allow home-grow because of the illegal market. Ironic — in so, so many ways. Psst: After Prohibition, the biggest and newest brewers were often the biggest bootleggers. — Beth Gallagher