After an adult-use cannabis legalization proposal failed in Delaware earlier this year, the lawmaker behind the push for policy reform has split his legislation in half in a move that is gaining some traction in the statehouse.
The House Health and Human Development Committee voted May 3 to pass Rep. Ed Osienski’s House Bill 371, which now heads to the full House for consideration, according to Time Square LIVE.
H.B. 371 would legalize the possession of an ounce or less of cannabis, while a separate bill from Osienski, House Bill 372, would allow cannabis to be grown and sold in the state for adult use, Time Square LIVE reported.
H.B. 372 has been released from the House Revenue and Finance Committee and now awaits a hearing in the House Appropriations Committee, according to the news outlet.
Osienski filed a more traditional adult-use cannabis legalization bill, House Bill 305, earlier this year, but the legislation ultimately died last month when it was defeated in the House.
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With his new, multi-pronged approach to cannabis policy reform, Osienski hopes that if the General Assembly can pass simple legalization, it will incentivize lawmakers to vote for taxation and regulation, Time Square LIVE reported.