Scott Goss

The News Journal

State legislators are going to hear an awful lot about marijuana next Thursday.

Supporters of a bill to legalize the use and sale of recreational marijuana are planning a full day of lobbying at Legislative Hall on May 11. Meanwhile, AAA Mid-Atlantic, the loudest voice of opposition to the proposed law, is planning a lobbying effort of its own on the same day.

"It was not intentional," AAA spokesman Ken Grant said. "I honestly had no idea they would be there until just now."

The Delaware Cannabis Advocacy Network, a nonprofit that advocates for an end to marijuana prohibitions, announced its ninth Citizens' Cannabis Lobby Day on Monday.

"It's a day when citizens join us at Legislative Hall," said Zoë Patchell, executive director of DCAN. "The idea is for them to make appointments with their legislators to discuss the bill and show their support."

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DCAN has held lobby day twice per legislative session since April 2014. But the event has become a monthly occurrence since the introduction of the Delaware Marijuana Control Act in March.

If approved, the bill would allow anyone 21 and older to purchase up to 1 ounce of marijuana from dozens of stores authorized to sell cannabis. The legislation also would authorize the creation of a marijuana industry that would include cultivation facilities, testingcompanies and manufacturing businesses that specialize in converting the plant into edibles, liquids, ointments and other end products.

The bill's co-sponsors State Rep. Helene Keeley, D-South Wilmington, and State Sen. Margaret Rose Henry, D-Wilmington, estimate the act could generate $22 million in annual tax revenue for Delaware, which is currently facing a $386 million deficit.

A committee hearing on the bill has not been scheduled, but Keeley said Wednesday that she expects one to be scheduled soon.

Delaware has already legalized medical marijuana and largely decriminalized possession of the drug.

Gov. John Carney has said he does not support legalizing recreational marijuana at this time. He did, however, show a willingness to remain open-minded by holding an April 19 roundtable discussion with supporters. A similar event with opponents has been promised but remains to be scheduled.

The most vocal opponent so far has been AAA Mid-Atlantic, the regional motor club headquartered in Wilmington. The group's arguments against legalized marijuana mostly center on claims the bill would lead to an increase in drugged driving, along with concerns over the potential impact on Delaware's workforce and an increased risk of marijuana falling into the hands of minors.

On May 11, staff from AAA Mid-Atlantic will raise those issues in the Legislative Hall cafeteria, where the car club will set up what it refers to as an "interactive marijuana experience." Visitors will be asked to don "marijuana goggles" that alter their visual perception and then attempt to navigate an on-screen maze to simulate driving through a neighborhood.

"It's the closest we can come to showing how marijuana effects you without someone getting high," Grant said.

He cited a study released by the Governors Highway Safety Association last month that found nearly 36 percent of drivers killed in 2015 crashes tested positive for marijuana. A 2014 roadside survey in Washington – which legalized recreational marijuana use in late 2012 – found 44 percent of drivers reported driving within two hours of marijuana use.

"That's why we're saying Delaware should maybe take the advice of the Washington and Colorado's governors by waiting to see the full impact in those states," Grant said.

Patchell cited a 2015 study released by the National Traffic Safety Administration that determined the higher risk of crashes for drivers under the influence of marijuana was not due to the drug but correlated to other factors, such as the age, gender and ethnicity of users.

"Regardless, we don't want anyone behind the wheel under the influence of any substance," she said. "AAA's own literature states they have been able to reduce the number of DUIs through a collaborative effort with law enforcement and the alcohol industry. But you can't work with drug dealers under an illicit market, which is why we want to create a legal industry that can help address this issue."

In addition to lobbying legislators next week, DCAN plans to take its case to the streets this weekend. The group will hold a march through downtown Rehoboth Beach at 2 p.m. on Saturday as part of the Global Cannabis March, an effort to call attention to what the group calls "harsh, failed and costly policies prohibiting cannabis."

Contact business reporter Scott Goss at (302) 324-2281, sgoss@delawareonline.com or on Twitter @ScottGossDel.