Marijuana retail stores may be open in the near future, but according to Delaware law, they have to continue serving their medical customers.
Medical marijuana was legalized in the First State in 2011. But even though recreational marijuana has been legal in Delaware since 2023, medical is the only kind you’ll find in Delaware’s dispensaries.
There are 13 “compassion centers,” or state-licensed medical marijuana dispensaries, in Delaware. All of them have applied for conversion licenses, which would allow them to sell recreational marijuana. It’s a hefty $100,000 for that license, a price that doubles if a cultivation facility wants to convert into recreational.
That money goes to a state fund that will help business owners with marijuana licenses in areas where people have been disproportionately targeted by past war on drugs-style marijuana policy. It hasn’t been too much of a hurdle, as all of them have applied for conversion.
Another caveat besides the price is that a converted dispensary must still operate as a medical dispensary, according to state law. Part of the application must include a plan to continue serving the medical base of customers. State law says converted businesses must sell tax-free products and run home delivery to qualifying patients.
A converted business must also sell “up to 3 ounces of marijuana in any 14-day period to qualifying patients directly or through designated caregivers and up to a total of 6 ounces per month.”
There is no recreational weed store in Delaware yet, as business owners are still grappling with state processes and local regulations.
Shane Brennan covers Wilmington and other Delaware issues. Reach out with ideas, tips or feedback at slbrennan@delawareonline.com.