Delaware Gov. John Carney, a Democrat, announced Friday that he will allow two bills to become law without his signature or veto, allowing the legal possession of recreational marijuana in the state.
"In the coming days, I will allow House Bill 1 and House Bill 2 to be enacted into Delaware law without my signature," Carney said in a statement Friday. "These two pieces of legislation remove all state-level civil and criminal penalties from simple marijuana possession and create a highly regulated industry to conduct recreational marijuana sales in Delaware."
The Delaware House passed its versions of the bills on March 9, followed by the Senate on March 28.
The bills regulate and tax marijuana for recreational use in a similar way to alcohol, set up a "framework" for companies to manufacture and sell marijuana, and remove all civil and criminal penalties for possession of the drug.
"As I've consistently said, I believe the legalization of recreational marijuana is not a step forward," Carney said in the statement. "I support both medical marijuana and Delaware's decriminalization law because no one should go to jail for possessing a personal use quantity of marijuana. And today, they do not."
The Delaware Business Times reported in March that state Sen. Trey Paradee, D-Dover/Camden, who helped get the bills through the Senate, said the state may have already lost out on between $100 million to $200 million for letting 21 other states legalize and tax the substance.
"As neighboring states move to legalize and regulate the sale of marijuana, Delaware is quickly becoming an island of prohibition — despite the reality that marijuana is here to stay," Paradee said in a statement at the time. "Today, we embrace that reality and take steps to shift what is currently an illegal market into a legal one that benefits Delaware's economy."
Even after the bills passed both legislative chambers, advocates were concerned that Carney would use his veto power to quash the bills.
"I remain concerned about the consequences of a recreational marijuana industry in our state. I'm concerned especially about the potential effects on Delaware's children, on the safety of our roadways, and on our poorest neighborhoods, where I believe a legal marijuana industry will have a disproportionately negative impact. Those concerns are why I could not put my signature to either House Bill 1 or House Bill 2," Carney's statement said. "I recognize that many legislators disagree — and I respect the legislative process. I also do not believe prolonging debate on this issue best serves Delawareans."
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