Medical Marijuana… Remember that?

Medical Marijuana… Remember that?

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It was over two years ago that Delaware became of the growing number of states that allow medical marijuana. Senator Margaret Rose Henry's SB 17 passed the Senate 18-3 (and then inexplicably 17-4 the second time after the House amended it) and the House 27-14, and Governor Markell signed the bill a few days later, which is his custom if he really likes a bill. But then came the Federal roadblock, as Eric Holder's Justice Department threatened state officials with prosecution. Since I preemptively attacked the Governor this morning for a rumored but not yet taken action, it seems only fair to applaud the Governor to finally sticking up his middle finger to Attorney General Holder and President Obama for their illogical, unprogressive and hypocritical opposition to medical marijuana. The breaking news:
After a months-long delay, Gov. Jack Markell is moving forward with implementation of Delaware’s medical marijuana program despite threats from the U.S. Department of Justice that state officials could be subject to prosecution. The move comes after other states, including New Jersey and Rhode Island, have issued licenses for marijuana distribution centers. Markell told lawmakers in a letter today that the state will issue a request for proposal to open a marijuana cultivation and distribution center, or “compassion center,” in Delaware next year. The law that Markell signed in 2011 legalizing medical marijuana in Delaware called for compassion centers in each county.
DeLuca to Labor?

DeLuca to Labor?

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There is a rumor that Governor Markell is going to appoint former Senate Pro Tem, Senator Tony DeLuca, as Secretary of Labor. Will that job be in addition to the other jobs DeLuca has in state government. If this is a trial balloon, then let's pop it. Governor, this is unacceptable. This is Delaware Way politics at its worst. It is something that Ruth Ann Minner would do. It is something we imagined Ruth Ann Minner's Lt. Governor, John Carney, would do. Which is why we backed what appeared to be the more progressive option in the 2008 Democratic Primary.... you. If you do this, boy were we wrong.
Violence and Wilmington

Violence and Wilmington

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Last night, there was a quickly called meeting by Herman Holloway, Jr. to get "community leaders" to discuss Wilmington's violence problem. Specifically, Holloway wanted to talk about strategies to get…
An Opportunity for Campaign Finance Reform

An Opportunity for Campaign Finance Reform

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Yesterday's NJ detailed how developers (with multiple companies) could legally contribute multiple times to a candidate: The practice of companies tied to one developer each contributing the maximum contribution gives the developer greater influence in the election process than other donors who don’t have separate companies to funnel contributions through. “It’s an outrageous loophole for developers. It makes a mockery of the limits,” said James Browning, regional director of state operations with Common Cause advocacy organization. “It’s a double standard for developers. How can you trust in a system where so few people can buy so much access?”
Around the Horn for August 2-8, 2013

Around the Horn for August 2-8, 2013

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Steve Newton at Delaware Libertarian has begun a must read series about whether Karen Weldin Stewart's favorite company Highmark is trying to build a monopoly for MedExpress in Delaware:
[T]he current incestuous relationship between Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield and MexExpress urgent care clinics is a classic example of government utterly failing at "regulating" a market. To begin with, let's go back and recall that Senator Patti Blevins and Insurance Commissioner Karin Weldin Stewart teamed up to exempt Highmark from the Attorney General's authority to require the insurance company to set aside $175 million in reserves for a foundation to benefit taxpayers. This was Highmark's condition for entering the Delaware market--$175 million plus multiple other exemptions and exceptions to existing insurance law. If you bother to go look at either Blevins' or Stewart's campaign donation pages at the Delaware Commissioner of Elections page, and you take the 2-3 hours necessary to trace down the bewildering array of PACs and healthcare related donations that each woman received in 2012, you will discover that they were well compensated for screwing Delaware taxpayers out of $175 million. Next, you need to recognize that Highmark holds a $51+ million stake in MedExpress urgent care clinics. To put it as clearly as open sources allow: Highmark holds at least a 10% ownership stake in MedExpress, probably more. So it was no surprise that, as in Pennsylvania, when Highmark came to Delaware, MedExpress quickly followed behind. In the past year, MedExpress has dumped FOUR new clinics into New Castle County, and is (or has) added four more in Kent and Sussex. These new clinics arrived with tens of thousands of dollars worth of smaltzy advertising about "your new neighbor." Here are the harsh realities: the arrival of MedExpress is only the FIRST STEP in a tried and true Highmark business model for vertical integration. Basically, the plan involves four steps...
Go to Delaware Libertarian and read on. Great work, Steve. Come inside to check what other Delaware bloggers have been blogging about this past week.