MILFORD, DE- Just days before Delaware's adult-use cannabis market is set to launch, Gov. Matt Meyer and other state officials toured First State Compassion in Milford, getting an up-close look at the legal industry in action.
While marijuana was legalized in Delaware in 2023, nearly two years of delays and setbacks pushed the start of the industry past its original April one target. The launch is now scheduled for Friday, August 1.
Meyer, who toured the cultivation center at First State Compassion, says witnessing the full seed-to-sale process ahead of the rollout is important.
"It's another step forward in taking a substance that was illegal—one that caused a lot of safety problems in communities across Delaware—and bringing it out in the open, saying this is a freedom Delawareans should have."
Supporters of the adult-use rollout, and industry professionals like Ryan Crandall with MariMed, say the legal market will do more than curb illegal sales—it will bring broad economic and public health benefits.
"There's tax revenue. You know, benefit. I think there's a job benefit, there's a benefit to health care systems. There are benefits to overall mental health for people."
During his visit, Meyer also met with students from Delaware Technical Community College, who are training on site through the school's new cannabis industry training program.
Emily Wilkens, an instructor at Del Tech, says the program—believed to be the only one of its kind in Delaware—is designed to give students real-world experience.
"Students are learning everything from seed to sale—we're learning all of the regulatory pieces and the science behind how we do what we do."
The three-month program currently has nine students in its inaugural class. Wilkens says it prepares them to work in both the medical and adult-use cannabis markets and positions them for immediate employment upon graduation.
With Delaware known for having one of the most tightly regulated cannabis markets in the country, state officials and industry leaders are emphasizing safety and transparency ahead of the launch.
Meyer says strict testing and labeling protocols—like those followed at First State Compassion—are designed to ensure that legal products are safer than those currently being sold illegally.
"We are the French wine of weed. The regulation here is so high quality that people will know, hey, if it comes from Delaware, it's good, safe stuff."
Crandall says it's encouraging to see elected officials engaged and asking questions about the future of the industry.
"It's excellent to see leadership, you know, true leadership, state leadership come participate, you know, be down to earth with what's going on here—accepting—and really start to ask great questions about the future."
When asked about SB 75, which was passed in the 153rd General Assembly and would limit how much local governments can restrict marijuana businesses through zoning, Meyer says his administration is still "working on it."
State regulators say Delaware's cannabis rollout will be gradual and closely monitored to ensure compliance, product safety and quality.