Delaware Marijuana Commissioner Rob Coupe announced he will resign later this month, just weeks after the agency awarded the state’s first retail adult-use cannabis licenses, the Delaware News Journal reports.
Coupe — who previously held leadership roles in the Delaware State Police, the Department of Safety and Homeland Security, the Department of Correction, the Department of Technology and Information, and the Delaware Department of Justice — will step down on January 17, noting that “It seemed like a fitting time to go out,” the report said.
Delaware approved adult-use cannabis in March 2023 and the legalization policy took effect several months later. This year, officials received over 1,260 adult-use cannabis business applications, including 529 applications for retail business licenses.
Gov. John Carvey (D), who is also leaving office later this month, thanked Coupe for his service in a statement.
“As I’ve said before, there are few people across our state who are more well-respected and more committed to serving the people of Delaware, than Rob Coupe. I knew he was the right person to take on the challenge of serving as Delaware’s first Marijuana Commissioner and he has proven his success leading that Office.” – Gov. Carvey, via the Delaware News Journal
With Coupe departing on January 17, the task of appointing the next Marijuana Commissioner will fall to Governor-elect Matt Meyer (D), who takes office on January 21. Until such an appointment, however, the current Deputy Marijuana Commissioner Paul Hyland will head the Office of the Marijuana Commissioner, according to the report.
Under the state’s cannabis legalization law, adults aged 21+ are allowed to possess up to one ounce of cannabis. Residents, however, are not allowed to grow the plant themselves at home.
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