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Update

Global Cannabis March in Rehoboth Beach moved to May 14

May 6, 2022

Like many events scheduled to take place this Mother’s Day weekend, the Global Cannabis March has been postponed and moved to 3 p.m., Saturday, May 14.

Traditionally held the first Saturday in May, the annual event originated in New York City in 1973 and went international in 1999, with more than 800 cities in 83 countries participating over the past 23 years.

Organized locally in Delaware for a seventh year by Delaware Cannabis Advocacy Network and Delaware NORML, the Rehoboth event will begin with participants gathering at Surfside Park at the north end of the Boardwalk to march to the Rehoboth Beach Bandstand for a rally featuring speeches by local cannabis policy reform advocates.

“This is the first year since before the pandemic that our group and most of the cities that participate around the world have been able to organize and participate in this annual tradition,” said Zoë Patchell, local event organizer and executive director of Delaware CAN. “Many U.S states have now legalized cannabis since the last time we were all able to gather on this day of global unity.

“There are also whole countries that have previously participated in this event, like Canada, Mexico and Spain, which have now legalized cannabis as well,” Patchell continued. “We are hoping that this is finally the year that Delaware lawmakers allow adults the freedom to possess and consume this non-toxic plant.”

The Delaware Legislature will be considering the fifth version of the cannabis legalization legislation, after a previous version of the measure failed by two votes to clear a three-fifths supermajority hurdle in March.

The latest version bifurcates the legislation into two separate bills – one that removes penalties for possession of up to an ounce of cannabis for adults 21 and older, and one that aims to legalize an adult-use cannabis market regulated under the state’s Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Enforcement.

The Rehoboth Beach rally will also include a call-to-action table, where volunteers will help connect Delaware residents with their lawmaker’s voicemail, asking them to support and prioritize the legalization legislation before the end of session Wednesday, June 30.

A University of Delaware poll shows more than 60% of Delawareans support cannabis legalization statewide.

Delaware CAN will also host its monthly Delaware Citizens’ Cannabis Lobby Day at 12:30 p.m., Thursday, May 12, at Legislative Hall  in Dover.

Delaware Cannabis Advocacy Network is an all-volunteer, citizen-led, grassroots advocacy group. Since 2013, its members have been lobbying the Delaware General Assembly to remove all civil and criminal penalties for cannabis, initiate criminal justice reforms for those adversely affected by cannabis prohibition, and replace the current illicit cannabis market with a safe, legal and well-regulated industry.

Editor’s Note: This story was updated Friday, May 6, to reflect the march had been postponed to Saturday, May 14.

 

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