Delaware House Upholds Governor’s Marijuana Legalization Veto
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The Delaware House of Representatives on Tuesday voted to uphold the governor’s veto of a marijuana legalization bill—a disappointment for advocates that comes on the same day that a rally was held outside the State House to push to overturn the veto. The chamber failed to override Gov. John Carney’s (D) action in a 20-20 vote, with one member not voting. The bill had initially passed with 26 votes—more than the supermajority threshold needed to override a veto—though some members were evidently hesitant to contradict the governor even though they support the reform as a matter of policy. “We’re missing an opportunity,” Rep. Ed Osienski (D), the sponsor of HB 371, which would legalize possession and gifting of cannabis without a sales component, said on the House floor before the chamber’s vote. “Eighteen states around the United States have passed this legislation…and nobody’s come back to say this was a mistake. Nobody has come back and said we need to repeal this.” After the legislature sent the measure to the governor’s desk last month, he announced that he was refusing to sign it, a move that wasn’t entirely unexpected given his past comments on the issue but still stands in stark contract to the policy positions of virtually every other Democratic governor in the country. “I respect the Legislative Branch’s role in this process, and I understand that some hold a different view on this issue,” the governor said at the time. “However, I have been clear about my position since before I took office, and I have articulated my concerns many times.” Osienski also sponsored a complementary bill to set up regulations for an adult-use cannabis market that advanced through the committee process alongside HB 371, only to be narrowly defeated in the House last month by one vote. Under a…

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Source : Delaware House Upholds Governor’s Marijuana Legalization Veto

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