Delaware is legal state number 22.
Gov. John Carney announced on Friday that he would step aside to allow two companion cannabis legalization bills to become law without his signature. So, at midnight on Saturday night, Delaware’s legalization push crossed the finish line and Delaware became the 22nd state to legalize.
“After five years of countless meetings, debates, negotiations and conversations, I’m grateful we have reached the point where Delaware has joined a growing number of states that have legalized and regulated adult recreational marijuana for personal use,” Rep. Ed Osienski, the bill’s sponsor, said in a statement.
Read Cannabis Wire’s coverage about HB1 and HB2, a package of bills that removed possession-related penalties and set up a legal framework to regulate cannabis sales.
“I understand the governor’s personal opposition to legalization, so I especially appreciate him listening to the thousands of residents who support this effort and allowing it to become law. I am committed to working with the administration to ensure that the effort to establish the regulatory process goes as smoothly as possible,” Osienski said.
Carney is still opposed to cannabis legalization, but he’s not a fan of how much time cannabis has taken up in the legislature.
“I want to be clear that my views on this issue have not changed. And I understand there are those who share my views who will be disappointed in my decision not to veto this legislation. I came to this decision because I believe we’ve spent far too much time focused on this issue, when Delawareans face more serious and pressing concerns every day. It’s time to move on,” Carney said in a statement on Friday.
“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.”
+ More: 2023 might just be the tipping point year, as Cannabis Wire has reported. Read about why 2023 could be the year in which adult use cannabis becomes legal in more than half of the states, adding pressure on Congress to consider reforms.
Clinical trial will examine CBD and social anxiety.
Researchers from the University of California, San Diego are conducting a clinical trial that will examine CBD and its “affects biological and stress-related responses that are believed to underlie anxiety disorders.” The study will include about 60 participants between the ages of 18 and 70 who have social anxiety disorder.
Researchers will examine how different doses of Epidiolex (a plant based CBD formulation made by Jazz Pharmaceuticals/Greenwich Biosciences) affects the blood plasma levels of anandamide, which is a naturally occurring brain molecule that plays a role is responses to stress. Researchers will also examine anxiety through response to a “standardized stress task.”
“This knowledge will help advance the therapeutic potential of CBD for anxiety,” the trial notice notes.