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19,715 Registered Patient Population |
1.96% of Total Population Represented by Patients |
10 Total Medical Retail Locations Currently in Operation |
197,150 : 1 Patients : Retail |
The state of Delaware allows both medical and adult-use recreational cannabis programs. Beginning in 2011, the Delaware General Assembly approved Senate Bill 17, the Delaware Medical Marijuana Act. This made it legal for a patient with a registration identification card to use and possess cannabis for medical purposes and to designate a caregiver to assist them and protected from discrimination in employment, education, housing, parental rights, and medical care, including organ transplants. In 2012, regulations for the Medical Marijuana Program were in the process. However, the program was suspended until 2013 when the suspension was lifted and regulations were finalized. This led to the opening of Delaware’s first compassion center in 2014.
Over time, more updates continued to be made and in 2018 the Governor signed into law SB 197, legislation that approved mandatory expungements for certain cannabis offenses. In 2020, the state began issuing Compassionate Use Cards (CUSs) to eligible applying patients. Under the law registered patients and designated caregivers may possess up to six ounces of usable cannabis, but no personal cultivation is allowed. Patients and caregivers may possess up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis. Qualifying patients and caregivers are protected from discrimination in employment, education, housing, parental rights, and medical care, including organ transplants. There is no reciprocity available for patients visiting Delaware. Details on how these laws apply to patients and medical professionals can be found below.
In 2019, anyone under the age of 21 who has been convicted of possessing a “personal use quantity” is eligible for mandatory expungement. Those convicted of a “single offense” that is related to cannabis “possession, use, or consumption” prior to December 18, 2015 are also eligible for mandatory expungement. For more information on adult expungement see Delaware's Adult Expungement Instruction Packet.
In April of 2023, Governor John Carney allowed for the legalization of recreational cannabis use in the state of Delaware with the passing of HB1 and HB2. Adults age 21 and older can possess up to one ounce of dried flower, twelve grams of cannabis concentrates, or 750 grams or less of Delta-9 THC. Home cultivation still remains illegal.
Medical cannabis use was legalized through the Delaware Medical Marijuana Act (HB 39), allowing medical cannabis patients with qualifying medical conditions to possess up to 3 ounces every 14 days, possessing no more than 6 ounces at one time.
NOTICE: It can be challenging for patients to determine which businesses offering cannabis products are licensed and approved by the state. Review this list of medical cannabis retailers to find out where to purchase regulated cannabis in Delaware.
Traveling? Get more information about traveling in the US here.
Navigating Delaware State Laws:
Patients and Caregivers: Enrolling and Accessing Medical Cannabis
Medical Professionals: Procedures for recommending Medical Cannabis
Policymakers and Advocates: Actions Needed to Improve Laws for Patients
Here is a breakdown of how Delaware fared in ASA’s Annual State of the States Report, which evaluates the effectiveness of each state cannabis program from a patient perspective and assigns a grade using a rubric that reflects the key issues affecting patient access. Medical cannabis laws are constantly changing, ASA’s policy recommendations for Delaware can be found below. For policy updates sign up here.
Patient Rights and Civil Protections | 90/100 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Access to Medicine | 45/100 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Program Functionality | 95/100 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Affordability | 50/100 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Health and Social Equity | 76/100 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Consumer Protection and Product Safety | 116/200 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Score Penalties | 10/100 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Excerpted from ASA's 2022 State of the States Report. |
Becoming a Patient in Delaware
Is marijuana legal in Delaware? Medical cannabis in Delaware
Recommending Cannabis in Delaware
Legal guidance for physicians recommending medical cannabis in Delaware
History Of Medical Cannabis In Delaware
A brief history of medical marijuana legalization in Delaware
Policy Recommendations Delaware
ASA's recommendations for medical cannabis policy improvements in Delaware to benefit patients and consumers
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