Delaware Representative Introduces Bill that would Decriminalize the Possession of Marijuana

On Thursday, a bill was introduced in Delaware’s House of Representatives that would decriminalize the possession of marijuana. Currently, nineteen states and the District of Columbia have decriminalized marijuana.

The bill introduced in Delaware would make the possession of marijuana a civil offense. It would no longer be considered a criminal offense. The bill, House Bill 39, treats the possession of marijuana like a traffic ticket. The sale of marijuana and the possession with intent to sell, however, would still be treated as a criminal offense.

According to state data, 2,334 adults in Delaware were charged with the possession of marijuana in 2013.

• Nine were sentenced to jail time.
• 8% were found guilty of possession
• 70% had their charges dismissed or entered into a drug diversion program.

A Generational Shift Taking Place

Representative Helene Keeley introduced a similar measure last year, which cleared the House committee but was never debated on the House floor prior to the session ending.

Keeley noted that there is generational shift taking place in the United States.

“There are a lot of people out there who, instead of going home and having a martini, or going home and having a glass of wine, they want to go home and take a couple hits. For them that is just as relaxing as having a glass of wine.”

Technical420 feels confident about this bill passing because Governor Jack Markell has shown signs of support for decriminalizing marijuana and twelve other Democratic members of the General Assembly co-sponsored the legislation.

“The governor hasn’t reviewed Rep. Keeley’s proposed legislation, but as we have said in the past, he is open to continuing conversations about decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use,” Jonathon Dworkin, a spokesman for Markell, said Thursday.

Bill Faces Some Opposition

Groups representing police officers could oppose Keeley’s decriminalization bill in Delaware. Tom Brackin, president of the Delaware State Troopers Association, said his group has several concerns with decriminalization. Brackin expressed concern that those found with marijuana under the age of 21 would only face civil penalties.

“We’ve had some discussions with Representative Keeley. They were positive discussions,” Brackin said. “We’re hopeful that we can continue to talk to her and other legislators about it. If it looks like we can’t defeat [the legislation], we want to make sure we improve it so everybody is more comfortable.”

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Michael Berger is Managing Partner of StoneBridge Partners, LLC and Founder of Technical420.com. Prior to entering the cannabis industry, Michael was an Equity Research Analyst at Raymond James Financial covering the Energy Sector. Michael has been featured in publications such as The Street, Bloomberg, US Money News, and hosts various cannabis events across North America.

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