Delaware's passage of a marijuana decriminalization bill on Thursday makes it the 19th state — plus the District of Columbia — in the U.S. to allow the possession of recreational marijuana. After the Delaware Senate gave the nod of approval to the bill, Delaware Gov. Jack Markell almost immediately signed it into law. In Delaware individuals can now possess up to an ounce of marijuana, use it privately, and face reduced penalties for using marijuana in a public space. Fines have been cut from a maximum fine of $1,150 and the possibility of up to six months in jail to a $100 fine, The Guardian reports.
The law passed without the support of a single Republican vote in either the House or the Senate, and will take effect in six months. Delaware was already one of 23 states to have legalized medical marijuana.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
When will mortgage rates finally start coming down?The Explainer Much to potential homebuyers' chagrin, mortgage rates are still elevated
-
Women are getting their own baseball league againIn the Spotlight The league is on track to debut in 2026
-
Giant TVs are becoming the next big retail commodityUnder the Radar Some manufacturers are introducing TVs over 8 feet long
-
Judge blocks Louisiana 10 Commandments lawSpeed Read U.S. District Judge John deGravelles ruled that a law ordering schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms was unconstitutional
-
ATF finalizes rule to close 'gun show loophole'Speed Read Biden moves to expand background checks for gun buyers
-
Hong Kong passes tough new security lawSpeed Read It will allow the government to further suppress all forms of dissent
-
France enshrines abortion rights in constitutionspeed read It became the first country to make abortion a constitutional right
-
Texas executes man despite contested evidenceSpeed Read Texas rejected calls for a rehearing of Ivan Cantu's case amid recanted testimony and allegations of suppressed exculpatory evidence
-
Supreme Court wary of state social media regulationsSpeed Read A majority of justices appeared skeptical that Texas and Florida were lawfully protecting the free speech rights of users
-
Greece legalizes same-sex marriageSpeed Read Greece becomes the first Orthodox Christian country to enshrine marriage equality in law
-
Trump and his lawyer Alina Habba have a rough day in defamation courtSpeed Read Trump's audible grousing as E. Jean Carroll testified earned him a warning he could be thrown out of court, and Habba showed she 'doesn't know what the hell she's doing'
