Delaware Lawmakers Fail to Pass Cannabis Legalization

The bill narrowly failed to get enough votes.

An effort to legalize recreational cannabis in Delaware has once again fallen short.

The state House on Thursday voted 23-14 in favor of the latest version of a cannabis legalization bill.

The margin, however, fell short of the 25 votes needed to pass it, the Associated Press reports.

The bill would have allowed adult-use cannabis and established a state-run cannabis marketplace.

But it ran into opposition from law enforcement, agriculture and public health groups, and the governor’s administration.

The bill was the first of its kind to receive a vote in the Delaware Legislature, and its author has vowed to try again.

He said Delaware is the only state with a Democratic governor and legislative majority where recreational cannabis remains illegal.

"I'm going to keep plugging at it,” state Rep. Ed Osienski, D-Newark, told the AP. “I'm not going to quit.”

More in Video