For the second time in less than a year, a bill to legalize marijuana in Delaware passed the House. It now heads to the Senate.

“It’s like déjà vu with this bill,” said Rep. Ed Osienski, D-Newark, prime sponsor of House Bill 1, his latest attempt to legalize marijuana, which he’s been working on since 2018.

The bill allowing anyone 21 or older to possess up to 1 ounce of marijuana legally passed the House March 7 by a 28-13 vote, a higher margin than the 26-14 vote taken in 2022.

Three upstate Republicans voted yes, along with Rep. Stell Parker Selby, D-Milton, who won the seat formerly held by Republican Steve Smyk.

Speaker of the House Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf, D-Rehoboth Beach, voted no along with the contingent of Sussex County Republicans.

Last session, the legalization bill passed both the House and Senate before it was vetoed by Gov. John Carney. Carney has been a steadfast opponent of legalizing marijuana.

The House attempted to override Carney’s veto in June 2022, but came up short of the 25 supermajority votes needed.

Osienski reviewed the benefits of his bill that includes erasing more than 12,000 civil penalties on the books related to marijuana use.

“This is going to free up a lot of time in our courts and law enforcement,” he said.