Middletown bans recreational marijuana businesses within city limits.
Middletown is the first municipality in New Castle County to pass an ordinance banning the operation of marijuana cultivation and product manufacturing facilities, retail stores and smoking lounges, but joins a host of beach towns and other cities in Kent and Sussex Counties.
There was no public comment on the ordinance or discussion among council, who voted unanimously in favor of the ordinance.
Mayor Kenneth Branner says the tax dollars they would make are not worth the risks associated with recreational use – he notes a particular concern over the drug getting into the hands of minors.
“There’s going to be I think 17 sites within the state of Delaware designated for that, most of those are going to be in New Castle County, and we felt that people had enough closeness to those to be able to take advantage of it," Branner says. "So we didn’t want the responsibility to have to monitor that and take care of it so that’s why we did it.”
Branner also notes council received no inquiries to open a marijuana-related facility in town nor heard any opposition to the ordinance from residents.
“Nobody even asked anything about it, because, the reason, I’m sure, is there’s going to be several in New Castle County where people will be close enough that they’ll be able to partake in those that are going to be state-approved and state-run," Branner says.
Milford Town Council recently decided not to ban the sale of marijuana, but have yet to develop their own practices or adopt state regulations. Dover is also considering regulations around marijuana sales and looking for input on zoning for marijuana facilities.
