SUSSEX COUNTY, DE - Delaware Governor Matt Meyer (D) vetoed a bill Thursday that would have given the state control over zoning for adult-use marijuana retail.
Recreational marijuana was legalized in April 2023. But in Sussex County, zoning laws severely limited where dispensaries to open.
Sen. Trey Paradee (D-DE District 17) introduced Senate Bill 75 in March. The measure aimed to limit marijuana zoning restrictions across Delaware and passed in the last legislative session.
"Matt’s decision will do irreparable harm to dozens of small business owners, who successfully won the lottery to open retail marijuana stores and grow facilities," Paradee said in a response released Thursday after the veto.
The Senator also said the decision broke an earlier deal struck between the two in late June.
"I agreed to support his initiative to allow the Counties to share in the State's revenue from recreational marijuana - a concept that I was very much opposed to. In return, the Governor agreed to allow SB 75 to pass into law without his signature. Today, he backed out on his word by vetoing SB 75."
Governor Meyer told WBOC on Friday that he despite disagreeing on details, he believes it is will be possible to reach a resolution with Paradee that will benefit Delaware.
"State government getting involved in the details on land use is not where state government should be," Gov. Meyer said. "There's a reason why we empower local governments, municipal and county governments to do local land use."
Lawmaker Rep. Bryan Shupe (R-Milford) said this bill would have allowed the state to overstep its authority.
"Governor Meyer and I have not agreed on much lately. But we do agree on vetoing this bill," Shupe said. "I think as a former executive for New Castle County, he understood that the local powers need to be able to see these challenges on the ground."
Meyer included a draft bill with his veto, which would give the county and municipalities 4.5% of the total marijuana tax revenue in the previous month.
Georgetown Mayor Bill West said he likes the idea of revenue sharing with the local governments that permit recreational dispensaries, like Best Buds, a medical and recreational cannabis retailer in town.
"I'm the one that let it happen in town," West said. "I'm the one that took the most abuse from people in the community to let us get some of the money back for what we've done."
The General Assembly could still override Gov. Meyer's veto of SB75 with a two-thirds vote in both houses.