DOVER — Delaware’s first marijuana czar has announced he will be stepping down on Jan. 17, leaving yet another cabinet position for the next governor to fill.
Delaware Marijuana Commissioner Rob Coupe served in the job for about a year and a half under Gov. John Carney. During that time, he worked to draft regulations for Delaware’s rising recreational marijuana industry which would ultimately generate the state’s first sales tax. The Office of Marijuana Commissioner has just completed its final lottery for retail licenses, selecting 15 out of the 800 applications for budding businesses.
Coupe will transition from public service to the private sector, serving as the next chief of staff for CRx Construction in Rehoboth Beach.
“It has been an honor to serve in this role and a privilege to work alongside the dedicated women and men of the Office of the Marijuana Commissioner,” said Coupe in a prepared statement. “Throughout my career I have been inspired to be at my best and earn the right each day to work alongside such talented individuals. I am grateful for all the people that have supported me throughout this journey.”
As Coupe enters the final days in office, it leaves a question for the next governor of who to appoint to replace him. As Carney will resign on Jan. 7 to be sworn in as Wilmington’s next mayor, it means Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long will hold the post for 11 days until Gov.-elect Matt Meyer is inaugurated.
Regardless, the Delaware Senate will have to confirm the nomination for the next Marijuana Commissioner, much like the rest of Meyer’s nominations.
Coupe is a longtime civil servant who has held posts in the Delaware State Police, the Department of Justice, Corrections, Technology and Information over the course of a 40-year career. Notably among those positions he spent 27 years in the state police, including commanding the criminal investigative unit for the agency’s operations in New Castle County. In 2009, he was appointed superintendent of the agency, overseeing 676 troopers and 270 civilian employees.
After retiring from the state police, Coupe was named commissioner of the state Department of Corrections under Gov. Jack Markell, where he remained for almost four years. When Carney was elected, he appointed Coupe to secretary of the Department of Safety & Homeland Security, which oversees eight divisions, two councils supporting persons with disabilities and the E911 Board.
In 2020, Coupe stepped down to become chief of staff to Attorney General Kathy Jennings and later chief of staff in the Department of Technology and Information (DTI).
Carney then nominated him in the summer of 2023 as the state’s first marijuana commissioner. The governor had repeatedly stressed his concerns on legalized recreational marijuana, even vetoing it in 2022, but finally let the bill turn into law without his signature. He named Coupe as the man to help design and implement the First State’s first rules for the new frontier.
“As I’ve said before, there are few people across our state who are more well-respected and more committed to serving the people of Delaware, than Rob Coupe,” Carney said in a prepared statement. “I knew he was the right person to take on the challenge of serving as Delaware’s first Marijuana Commissioner and he has proven his success leading that Office. Commissioner Coupe has a reputation in public service that goes well beyond his most recent post.”
“I want to thank Rob Coupe for his dedicated service and wish him well in his next chapter,” Carney added.
Under Coupe’s leadership, the Office of Marijuana Commissioner has distributed a total of 120 licenses for cultivation, manufacturing, retail and testing facilities. That represented about 10% of all the applicants, as more than 1,200 had applied and paid $4 million in fees to enter the lottery. Coupe had a hand in shaping the policy when it came to social equity licenses which allow those who live in “disproportionately impacted areas” or were arrested for a marijuana-related offense to have a chance in the business.
Coupe also spent the year crossing the state and hosting workshops, hearing concerns about banking and security, as well as participating in municipal law and economic development panels. In particular, he and Delaware Treasurer Colleen Davis were bullish on measures to allow the new recreational marijuana business to safely bank, resulting in the Safe Harbor bill.
Coupe also worked with the state’s health officials to merge the Division of Public Health’s Medical Marijuana Program, unifying the two under one structure.
Delaware’s first marijuana czar has announced he will be stepping down on Jan. 17, opening a cabinet position for the next governor to fill. Read More
