On the same day as Delaware’s House of Representatives voted in favor of establishing a legal marijuana market, Delaware’s Senate overwhelmingly approved a marijuana resolution of their own.
Senate Resolution 11
, which “urges our federal delegation to support legislation to deschedule marijuana”, was passed by a vote of 15 to 1, with 4 members not voting.
In the resolution’s preamble, it states that marijuana is classified as a Schedule I drug, alongside Heroin, “though marijuana has many well documented medical uses.. and according to the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine, modern medical research has confirmed the beneficial uses for marijuana in treating or alleviating the pain, nausea, and other symptoms associated with a variety of debilitating medical conditions, including cancer, multiple sclerosis, and HIV/AIDS”.
The resolution notes that “marijuana has many currently accepted medical uses in the United States, having been recommended by thousands of licensed physicians to at least 350,000 patients in states with medical marijuana law”, and that “marijuana’s medical utility has been recognized by a wide range of medical and public health organizations, including the American Academy of HIV Medicine, the American College of Physicians, the American Nurses Association, the American Public Health Association, and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society”.
The resolution also makes note of the fact that marijuana retail outlets that are legal under state law are forced to operate as cash-only establishments, which is dangerous to the community.
“[O]perating a business with large amounts of cash on hand is a public safety threat, as these establishments become targets for crime, putting the safety of staff and patients at risk; for example, while dispensaries
30 make up less than 1% of Denver businesses, they accounted for 10% of all reported commercial burglaries from 2012 to 2016”
According to the resolution “Marijuana does not belong in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, a classification intended for exceptionally dangerous substances with high potential for abuse and no medical use.”
Stating these points among other, the resolution concludes by stating “BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the 152nd General Assembly that we urge our federal delegation to support legislation to deschedule marijuana.”
