The Democratic governor of Delaware who allowed a marijuana legalization bill to take effect without his signature is making a questionable claim that “nobody” wants cannabis shops in their neighborhoods, even if there’s consensus that criminalization doesn’t work.
Outgoing Gov. John Carney (D), who is set to resign the office to begin a term as mayor of Wilmington on Tuesday, spoke about his position on marijuana reform during a wide-ranging exit interview with Spotlight Delaware that was published on Monday.
Carney faced criticism from advocates after vetoing a bipartisan measure to enact adult-use legalization in 2022. He eventually allowed subsequent 2023 reform legislation to be enacted without his direct approval the following year—but he’s making clear he remains fundamentally opposed to the policy as implemented and believes most people side with him, at least as it concerns the retail model.
“I’d be wrong in saying that, you know, I just do what I think is right, then the rest be damned,” the governor said. However, he said that opponents of cannabis legalization “didn’t think enough or talk enough about” their anti-reform messaging in a way that resonated with the public majority.
“Like, I don’t think smoking pot is the worst thing in the world. We weren’t sending people to jail anymore for that. I do think it’s not such a good thing,” he said, adding that local governments have revoked liquor store licenses in the past and arguing that a similar situation is playing out with marijuana dispensaries.
“Why do you think we’re having such difficult problems figuring out where to put the marijuana dispensaries?” he said. “People think, ‘Oh, it’s okay—but not in my neighborhood.’ And it doesn’t matter what neighborhood you live in. Nobody wants that liquor store. Nobody wants that marijuana dispensary down the corner.”
Listen to Carney’s marijuana comments, starting around 37:35 into the audio below:
“People that go there to purchase pot or alcohol often hang out in the neighborhood—bring other challenges to the neighborhood—and so that’s why you have zoning, and that’s why you have planning in urban areas and suburban areas,” Carney said.
It’s unclear what type of “challenges” the governor is suggesting cannabis consumers bring to local communities. But it should be noted that the local control option that empowers individual jurisdictions to ban marijuana businesses is an issue that’s been decided by local lawmakers—not by voter referenda.
To that point, Carney’s assessment of the NIMBY sentiment around marijuana operators is contradicted by several surveys in other legal cannabis states. For example, a 2023 survey from the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) found that 56 percent of Californians want adult-use retailers to operate in their community.
In 2021, a poll from the real estate company Redfin also showed that Americans would generally rather live in states where marijuana is legal than in those that continue to criminalize cannabis consumers.
In any case, Carney said that while he doesn’t consider supporters of the state’s legalization law to be “bad people,” he continues to disagree with them.
“They act like everybody was for it. No, everybody is not for it,” he said. “Elected officials don’t do things because they think people oppose what they’re doing. They know that their constituents are saying, ‘I don’t want it here in my neighborhood.’”
The fact that various local governments have enacted bans on cannabis operators is “an affirmation that my gut instincts, political instincts, on that issue were that there’s not the overwhelming support that people think there is,” the governor said. “Do people think it’s the worst thing in the world and you should send people to jail for it? No. And neither do I.”
He also noted that there are zoning rules in place such as mandating that dispensaries cannot be located close to schools, which he agrees with because exposure to cannabis operators is “not a great signal for our young people.”
But at some point, the outgoing governor said, he had to set aside his personal opposition and let legalization take effect due to broader political considerations.
“At some point, you have to be pragmatic and put up the white flag when you’ve lost the fight,” Carney said. “But you have to make a calculation of how it’s going to affect the other things that are more important.”
“If I don’t think that smoking pot is the worst thing in the world, then how far should you go in making people mad that you need to get support for things that you do care about and that are important? That’s that is clearly a calculation,” he said.
Delaware’s adult-use marijuana market hasn’t launched yet, but the first stores are set to open this year.
Late last year, the Office of the Marijuana Commissioner (OMC) held a series of licensing lotteries for cannabis business to start serving adult consumers.
A total of 125 licenses will ultimately be issued, including 30 retailers, 60 cultivators, 30 manufacturers and five testing labs. Last year, regulators also detailed what portion of each category is reserved for social equity applicants, microbusinesses and general open licenses.
Outgoing Delaware Marijuana Commissioner Robert Coupe, who announced his resignation this week, has said that the current timeline puts the launch of the market at March 2025. In the meantime, regulators have been rolling out a series of proposed regulations to stand up the forthcoming adult-use cannabis industry.
Meanwhile, the governor last year signed several additional marijuana bills into law, including measures that would allow existing medical cannabis businesses in the state to begin recreational sales on an expedited basis, transfer regulatory authority for the medical program and make technical changes to marijuana statutes.
The dual licensing legislation is meant to allow recreational sales to begin months earlier than planned, though critics say the legislation would give an unfair market advantage to larger, more dominant businesses already operating in multiple states.
In October, Carney also gave final approval to legislation to enact state-level protections for banks that provide services to licensed marijuana businesses.
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Delaware’s medical marijuana program is also being significantly expanded under a new law that officially took effect in July.
The policy change removes limitations for patient eligibility based on a specific set of qualifying health conditions. Instead, doctors will be able to issue cannabis recommendations for any condition they see fit.
The new law also allows patients over the age of 65 to self-certify for medical cannabis access without the need for a doctor’s recommendation.
The Democratic governor of Delaware who allowed a marijuana legalization bill to take effect without his signature is making a questionable claim that “nobody” wants cannabis shops in their neighborhoods, even if there’s consensus that criminalization doesn’t work. Outgoing Gov. John Carney (D), who is set to resign the office to begin a term as Read More
