With the passage of the Marijuana Control Act in April – legalizing recreational marijuana in Delaware for residents over the age of 21 – Delaware's Dept. of Safety and Homeland Security is requesting additional funding to support marijuana regulation.
The bill added 14 new positions within the Delaware Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Enforcement for marijuana regulation and enforcement.
DSHS Cabinet Secretary Nathanial McQueen is seeking additional funding to accommodate equipment needs for these new officers.
"Our third request is for $202,000 to allow the expanded Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Enforcement to contract with police services to acquire needed additional vehicles as a result of the added personnel through the Marijuana Control Act," McQueen said.
In addition to funding for fleet vehicles, the department is making a one-time request of $89,000 to equip these officers with mobile radios and around $14,000 for tasers.
One of the larger ticket items is a $1.5 million request for a marijuana evidence locker.
McQueen also wants $100,000 to purchase seed to sale software required by the Marijuana Control Act – a digital inventory control system used to track the cultivation, processing and sales of cannabis.
