Milford City Council voted Monday to prohibit recreational marijuana sales 6 to 2.
Milford City Council passed the complete ban after hearing public comment from about a dozen speakers who backed recreational sales by a slim margin.
City Council had two ordinances prepared: one prohibiting recreational marijuana sales and a second restricting recreational retailers to particular zones and requiring Council approval to open.
The third option Council presented was to pass neither ordinance, which would have allowed recreational marijuana sales to be treated as any other retail product with no zoning restrictions.
City Councilmember Katrina Wilson voted against the more restrictive ordinance after consulting constituents.
“Most of them that I spoke with, there were some yeas and there were some nos, but a majority of them wanted it to become legal or become recreational, where they can go in a store and purchase the clean product,” Wilson said.
Delaware legalized recreational cannabis in April 2023 but left regulations up to municipalities, which can limit or prohibit marijuana cultivation, manufacturing, testing and retail stores.
Councilmember Michael Stewart voted in favor of the ban and says he also consulted constituents.
“I talked to a lot of my constituents in my ward, and it was a close decision, but the majority don’t want it, so that’s why I’m voting yes.”
Mayor Todd Culotta previously expressed opposition to recreational sales in Milford, though he said he wanted to hear from constituents.
Vice Mayor Jason James, Sr. voted for a complete ban and voiced concern about the effect on law enforcement without bringing additional tax revenue into the city.
“If you allow retail recreational, you’re going to increase more traffic because people are going to come to buy,” James said. “And so you’re going to put an additional strain on the resources of the city of Milford is my concern. I’m looking at it from a resource perspective, and we have no way to collect additional funds to help address that.”
James says potential solutions – which he does not support – include an additional licensing fee or raising property taxes to further support the police force.
Studies on the link between recreational marijuana sales and crime find mixed results. A 2023 review of more than 60 studies from the last decade says that the studies collectively do not find recreational cannabis sales have dramatic effects or negative consequences.
Council prepared two ordinances to consider, one that banned recreational sales and one that allowed recreational sales with restrictions. Read More
