Delaware: Regulators Announce Adult Use Marijuana Sales to Begin Next Month

Consumers ages 21 and older will be able to purchase cannabis products from licensed retailers beginning on August 1st, according to an announcement by the state’s Marijuana Commissioner.

Lawmakers approved legislation more than two years ago regulating the adult-use marijuana market.

Consumers will initially be able to purchase cannabis at approximately a dozen retail locations — all of which are existing medical cannabis dispensaries that have received ‘conversion licenses’ to sell to patients and adults. (Lawmakers legalized medical cannabis access in 2011.) The Commissioner’s office says that regulators will begin providing additional licenses to new applicants by summer’s end.

Regulators had anticipated launching adult-use sales in early 2025, but the rollout faced numerous delays. Regulators have also faced resistance from municipal officials who have expressed a reluctance to have licensed retailers operating in their towns.

NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano has criticized local bans prohibiting licensed cannabis businesses, arguing that they are ineffective and that they bolster the unregulated marketplace.

“Marijuana marketplaces already exist in every neighborhood in Delaware. The question is whether lawmakers want these markets to be regulated or not,” he said. “It’s time for local officials to put an end to the NIMBYism and unwarranted fears surrounding the establishment of state-licensed marijuana retailers.”

A Delaware State Auditor’s report estimates that adult use sales will generate 43 million in annual tax revenue.