Heffernan, a northern New Castle County Democrat, did not respond to a request from WHYY News for comment about going back to the drawing board.
From Cirwithian’s perspective, Heffernan is doing the right thing by hitting the pause button.
“That’s amazing,” Cirwithian exclaimed. “I’m just not going to a liquor store. And then to be able to get my health and wellness advice from someone who knows what they’re talking about, who’s done the research, I’m extremely excited.”
Zoe Patchell, who heads the Delaware Cannabis Advocacy Network, agreed that Heffernan was wise to withdraw the bill “that would have had significant unintended consequences” for the hemp industry and their customers.
“The common ground between all this is the lawmakers, regulators and the local hemp businesses all agreed that regulation with testing, labeling and age restrictions are all the way to go,” Patchell said.
Patchell has said she believes CBD stores should be able to sell products with less than 0.3% of THC, which are permitted by federal law. She also said those stores, as well as the retail weed stores, should be able to sell the THC-infused drinks.
Joshua Sanderlin, who was sworn in as marijuana commissioner a month ago, told WHYY News last week that cannabis-infused drinks should be sold at retail weed stores as long as they are produced in Delaware. The 2023 law that created the legal market stipulated that the state’s retail weed stores can only sell marijuana grown in the state.
Sanderlin also said regulation of intoxicating THC products is paramount for the safety of residents.
“There are no regulations in place for these products and they are coming into the state,” Sanderlin said. “So getting some regulations around them, getting some testing on them, is the most important thing that we’re facing.”
