Former Delaware law enforcement official to oversee recreational marijuana transition

Gov. John Carney named a former top law enforcement official to oversee the implementation of Delaware’s new recreational marijuana laws and industry.

Robert Coupe has a long, wide-ranging resume in state government: He was the superintendent of Delaware State Police, secretary of Department of Safety and Homeland Security and chief of staff for Attorney General Kathy Jennings.

Currently, he is chief of the staff for the Department of Technology & Information.

“As I’ve said before, there are few people across our state who are more well-respected, and more committed to serving the people of Delaware, than Rob Coupe,” the governor said in a press release. “He’s exactly the right person to take on this new challenge.”

BACKGROUND: Carney allows Delaware weed bills to become law without signature. 'It’s time to move on'

What will Robert Coupe oversee?

The General Assembly legalized recreational marijuana earlier this spring, after a decade-long attempt. Carney, notably, has been against the policy for years. But he decided to allow the bills to become law without his signature, saying at the time that he still believed legalizing weed is “not a step forward.”

The legislation now legalizes marijuana in the quantity of personal use for people over the age of 21. It is still illegal to consume weed in public, and employers are still allowed to have a zero-tolerance policy.

It will likely take close to two years for Delawareans to purchase weed in a First State dispensary. The state will distribute 30 retail licenses through a competitive bidding process 16 months after the law went into effect.

Who else is getting new assignments?

The governor’s announcement Monday also noted that Molly Magarik is stepping down from her role as secretary of the Department of Health and Social Services, the largest state agency.

Magarik has led the department since June 2020. She previously worked as the department’s deputy secretary. Josette Manning, the current secretary of the Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families, has been nominated to replace her.

Manning has led the kid’s department, as it’s informally called, since 2017. She previously worked as a Department of Justice prosecutor for 17 years, where she focused on child abuse, child death and sex crime cases statewide. Unlike the two previous secretaries, Manning does not have a background in health care.

Carney, in the announcement, called Manning a “problem-solver” who “doesn’t shy away from the most difficult challenges.”

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware recreational marijuana transition to be led by Robert Coupe