Delaware Lawmaker Files New Adult-Use Cannabis Legalization Bill

State Rep. Ed Osienski, the legislation’s sponsor, has made changes to the adult-use proposal to increase its chances of passing.


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Delaware Rep. Ed Osienski has filed a new adult-use legalization bill with changes that he believes will increase its chances of passing, according to a Delaware Public Media report.

The Delaware House Health and Human Development Committee approved Osienski’s adult-use legalization proposal last year, but the bill ultimately stalled after debate over a social equity fund included in the legislation.

RELATED: Delaware Lawmaker Will Reintroduce Cannabis Legalization Bill in January

This year’s proposal, House Bill 305, does not include the fund, which would have helped social equity applicants establish businesses in the cannabis industry, according to Delaware Public Media.

In its place, Osienski has proposed that a portion of the tax revenue generated from legal cannabis sales support the Justice Reinvestment Fund, which aims to address the effects of the war on drugs on many of Delaware’s communities, the news outlet reported.