The search of the Delaware State University women’s lacrosse team has shined a spotlight on the unjustified invasion of privacy and trauma that vast numbers of Black Americans experience on a daily basis, including right here in Delaware. Studies show vast racial disparities in searches of drivers, even though police are less likely to find contraband when searching Black drivers. It’s easy to claim an officer smells cannabis, so this is the most common pretext for searches. Research from Stanford found legalizing cannabis dramatically reduces traffic searches and reduces racial disparities. Shockingly, our state’s decriminalization law explicitly allows searches based on the supposed smell of cannabis to continue. HB 371 would change that. It would dramatically reduce the number of traumatic, insulting, pretextual stops that happen here in Delaware. If you care about protecting Black Delawareans from traumatic, unjustified searches, the most impactful thing you can do is to sign HB 371 into law. Thank you.

More than 70% of Delawareans support legalizing cannabis. Eighteen other states and Canada have taken this more sensible approach. It’s past time for Delaware to follow suit. Cannabis is far safer than alcohol — it doesn’t cause fatal overdoses and isn’t linked to violence. Our government should not be punishing adults for using cannabis, nor should it be subjecting drivers to demeaning, humiliating, and racist searches based on the claimed smell of cannabis. I know you have been wary of legalization, but I hope you will not stand in the way of progress. Please sign HB 371 into law.

As your constituent, I urge you to sign HB 371 into law. By legalizing cannabis possession, Delaware can reduce the number of marijuana-related arrests and citations and prevent tens of thousands of unnecessary, insulting, and, at times, very dangerous police-civilian interactions. Legal, regulated cannabis is available in New Jersey. It makes no sense to continue to penalize adults for choosing a substance that is safer than alcohol. Please treat adults like grown-ups and stop subjecting them to racist, intrusive searches based on claims officers can smell cannabis. Please sign HB 371 into law.