Marijuana enthusiasts in Delaware will be sad to learn that the state’s governor is continuing to reiterate his opposition towards legalizing the plant.
Delaware’s Democratic Governor Gov. John Carney says he remains opposed to legalizing marijuana for adult use, in part because he believes that cannabis can be a gateway to other drugs in certain cases.
The governor made his remarks during an interview with WHYY and Delaware Public Media on Monday.
“Look, I just don’t think it’s a good idea,” he said. He explained that when he served as lieutenant governor, he spent years “trying to convince Delawareans to live a healthier lifestyle,” and he feels marijuana use does not fit into that effort.
“We spend all this time and money to get people to stop smoking cigarettes and now we want to say it’s okay to just smoke marijuana recreationally,” Carney said. “Look, I don’t want to sound like a prude about it, I just don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“If you talk to the parents of some of these folks that have overdosed and passed away, they don’t think it’s a good idea because they remember the trajectory of their own sons and daughters,” the governor added. “And I’m not suggesting that that’s always a gateway for all that, but if you talk to those Attack Addiction advocates they don’t think it’s a very good idea.”
Carney declined to say whether he would sign or veto a bill to legalize cannabis in Delaware that’s moving through the legislature, though he said the proposal is a “bad idea.”
“We have medical marijuana for those who need it for therapeutic purposes,” he said. “As I look at other states that have it, it just doesn’t seem to me to be a very positive thing from the strength of the community, of the economy in their states. Is it the worst thing in the world? No, of course not.”
