After more than five years, and multiple attempts, even vocal opponents to legalizing recreational marijuana acknowledge it will eventually become law in Delaware.

The question is when it will happen, and specifically, can it happen by the end of this session in June.

The Delaware House in March came the closest it ever has to legalizing marijuana. But the effort once again failed, this time by two votes needed for a three-fifths majority. In 2018, a similar bill failed by four votes.

Efforts are not completely dead: Rep. Ed Osienski, the Newark Democrat leading the fight for recreational marijuana, has written new legislation, with the hopes it passes before the session ends.

The legislation is now divided into two separate bills: One that would legalize marijuana for adults and another that would regulate the marijuana industry.

Some proponents and lawmakers have signaled that there might be success in first trying to legalize marijuana, since that requires a simple majority. The bill to regulate the growth and sale of weed needs a three-fifths vote, which Democrats have failed to obtain.

How the vote failed last month provides insight into the hurdles Democrats could likely again face in the coming weeks. Two Democrats decided to not cast a vote, last-minute conflict of interest concerns and failed negotiations with Republicans resulted in legalization efforts’ most recent demise, according to interviews with lawmakers and advocates. [Read More @ Delaware Online]