(Photo of marijuana grow site in Colorado)
A bill offering tax breaks for an enclosed site that would grow “fruits and vegetables” has been sent to the House.
Senate e Bill 219 passed the Senate unanimously and has co-sponsors from both parties. The sponsor is State Sen. William Bush, D-Kent County.
The legislation would provide a state New Business Facility tax credit if a project creates at least five jobs. The building would encompass no less than 400,000 square feet with a minimum investment of $40 million.
Not listed in the bill’s text is a specific project, although marijuana greenhouse sites of similar size have popped up nationwide.
A message was sent to Bush regarding the nature of the bill. Legislators introduce bills if a specific project has been proposed or is believed to be a way to bring jobs and investment to the state.
A 400,000-square-foot marijuana grow site for cannabis has been built in Warwick in neighboring Cecil County, MD, a short drive from Middletown. It’s the largest grow site in Maryland, which like Delaware, is setting up a recreational marijuana sales and regulatory system.
Legalization of recreational marijuana is now official in Delaware, with Gov. John Carney appointing former State Police Superintendent and prisons chief Robert Coupe to serve as Marijuana Commissioner. The State Senate approved Coupe’s appointment.
The state’s medical marijuana growers would like to have the first shot at dispensing the first legal weed but would need to add grow capacity to meet demand. In Delaware, marijuana has to be grown within the state with individuals barred from growing their own.
Current legalization bill calls for start-ups to have a shot at getting marijuana licenses, with the process taking as long as a year and a half. The medical marijuana lobby claims that an overly long time frame will ramp up the illegal market, with at least one pro-legalization group arguing that “corporate weed” wants an excuse to squeeze out the small fry.
At least one smaller medical marijuana supplier has been added to the Delaware dispensaries list.
The bill was assigned to the Senate Banking, Business, Insurance & Technology Committee.
