Delaware

Delaware weed stores will have the chance to offer ‘deli-style’ sales

Published

2 years ago

March 12, 2024

Delaware weed stores will have the chance to offer ‘deli-style’ sales

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When buying lunch meat from the grocery store, you usually have two options: visit the deli and get your turkey sliced to your desired weight and thickness, or grab some already packaged.

That’s what advocates for marijuana users want in Delaware’s retail stores when they open in about a year — the ability to smell and inspect the buds they might be interested in buying, rather than just getting something in a labeled, resealable plastic pouch.

Zoe Patchell of the Delaware Cannabis Advocacy Network says many users prefer and deserve to have the choice of what she calls “deli-style” or “apothecary-style” shopping for weed.

“Consumers know what they’re getting, and they can see the entire product before they purchase it. So it really cuts down on the demand for returns, which is not really a common proprietary industry practice,” Patchell told WHYY News.

“No one wants to be sold a product that they didn’t get to see before they purchased it and especially not when they get that product home and find out it’s either not what they wanted or even worse, that there was something wrong with the product.”

The proposed regulations for Delaware don’t currently allow for deli-style shopping. They mirror the ones currently in place for the medical marijuana dispensaries. Leaf marijuana and products such as edibles must be in packaging that will reveal whether it’s been tampered with before purchase, and is re-sealable once it’s opened if the package contains multiple doses.

However, during a recent meeting of the Marijuana Control Act Oversight Committee, members Patchell and Adam Windett made a presentation about how they want dispensaries to display and sell bulk marijuana.

That demonstration changed the mindset of Marijuana Commissioner Robert Coupe, who told WHYY News he would soon propose offering retailers a variance from the packaging mandate as long as they can convince his office that the weed will be free of contaminants and the quality remains unaffected.

“As long as they satisfy those areas of concern, then we could issue the variance and they would be able to offer marijuana in that form as well as the prepackaged form,’’ Coupe said.

Delaware Marijuana Commissioner Rob Coupe says he’s been persuaded to let retailers seek a variance to offer ‘deli-style’ sales. (State of Delaware)

“We want to make sure that the consumer’s aware, if it’s being sold that way,’’ there could be “additional risks as far as the quality, as far as bacteria getting into that jar or getting into their marijuana, that we’re not going to be able to control like we can in the prepackaged world,’’ Coupe said. “It becomes an agreement between the consumer and that retailer that this is how I want to purchase it.“

That’s just fine with Patchell, who has shopped for weed that’s kept in sealed mason jars in states such as Oregon and Colorado, and says the practice also lets customers evaluate the product’s freshness.

Zoe Patchell speaking into a microphone at a hearing — Zoe Patchell of the Delaware Cannabis Advocacy Network says deli-style sales is a common sense, consumer-centered approach. (City of Rehoboth)

‘It’s the same reason why people buy fresh vegetables over pre-canned vegetables,’’ she said. Prepackaged cannabis “typically is less fresh. The product is more dry.”

Delaware neighbors New Jersey and Maryland don’t allow deli-style sales in their recreational weed dispensaries. Pennsylvania has not legalized marijuana.

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Delaware

The best Delaware high schools for athletes? According to one study, these are top 25

Published

39 minutes ago

May 29, 2026

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The best Delaware high schools for athletes? According to one study, these are top 25

Tucked away on the East Coast, one of the smallest states has had a sizeable impact on the national sports scene.

Elena Delle Donne, one of the GOATs of women’s basketball, dominated the hardwood as a high school athlete, breaking Delaware’s points record. Chris Godwin, who has been a Pro Bowler and won a Super Bowl, was a top WR recruit and won two championships as a Delaware high schooler. Delino DeShields, a former MLB player, committed to LSU for both baseball and football.

Total number of sports: 16

1. Salesianum School (Wilmington)

Total number of sports: 15

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Delaware

Update – Suspect in Custody State Police Investigating Home Invasion in Georgetown – Delaware State Police – State of Delaware

Published

12 hours ago

May 29, 2026

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*Update – Suspect in Custody* State Police Investigating Home Invasion in Georgetown – Delaware State Police – State of Delaware

Date Posted: Friday, May 29th, 2026

The Delaware State Police have arrested 44-year-old Robert Berry from Millsboro, Delaware for a home invasion that occurred in Georgetown.

On May 15, 2026, at approximately 10:30 a.m., troopers responded to the 24000 block of Lawson Road in Georgetown for a panic alarm activation reported by a home security vendor. Troopers arrived and learned that the 83-year-old female victim had activated her panic alarm after an unknown male suspect, forced his way into her home as she opened her front door. Once inside, the suspect pointed a handgun at her and demanded to see another unknown person he believed was inside the residence. The victim was able to lock herself in a bedroom and activate her panic alarm while the suspect searched through the residence before leaving in an unknown direction. The victim was not injured.

Through investigative means, detectives identified Robert Berry as the suspect and obtained a warrant for his arrest.

On May 28, 2026, Berry was arrested and taken to Troop 4, where he was charged with the crimes listed below, arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court 2, and committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on a $166,000 cash bond.

Attempt to Commit Robbery 1st Degree (Felony)
Home Invasion Burglary 1st Degree (Felony)
Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony (Felony)
Possess, Purchase, Own, or Control a Firearm/Destructive Weapon if Previously Convicted of Two Violent Felonies on Separate
Occasions (Felony)
Aggravated Menacing (Felony)

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Disclaimer: Any individual charged in this release is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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Delaware

49-year-old dies by suicide while held in Delaware State Police cell

Published

1 day ago

May 28, 2026

Press Room

49-year-old dies by suicide while held in Delaware State Police cell

A 49-year-old Hartly man died after hanging himself in a holding cell at Delaware State Police Troop 3 in Camden, authorities said.

“Video surveillance confirmed that while detained alone in a temporary holding cell at Troop 3, [the suspect] used a shoelace to commit suicide by hanging,” state police said in a May 28 statement. “When troopers found [him], they attempted lifesaving efforts, but he was pronounced dead a short time later.”

Police did not immediately respond to a late May 28 email seeking information on custody protocols or whether the suspect appeared suicidal.

In a May 28 press release, police said troopers were responding to a report of a domestic assault at a home on Misty Way in the Hartly-area about 8 p.m. on May 27.

Before troopers arrived, they were notified that the man had left the residence in his girlfriend’s vehicle. Police said he had an active arrest warrant stemming from a previous incident at the same location on May 22.

The vehicle was spotted by a Delaware State Police helicopter and a chase began, police said.

The chase crossed into Maryland, then returned to Delaware before ending at the residence on Misty Way, police said.

There, police said he initially refused orders to get out of the vehicle, and when he finally did, he resisted further orders from troopers.

Police said he assaulted a DSP canine they deployed. When he was eventually taken into custody, police took him to an area hospital for evaluation of injuries sustained from the dog apprehension.

The Hartly man was released from the hospital on the morning of May 28 and taken to Troop 3, where police said he was charged with several crimes, including strangulation for the May 22 incident and resisting arrest with violence and second-degree assault on a law enforcement animal for the May 27 incident.

Police said he hanged himself while being held at Troop 3, but did not specify when it occurred.

The Delaware State Police Homicide Unit, along with the Delaware Department of Justice’s Division of Civil Rights and Public Trust, are investigating.

Send tips or story ideas to Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com. This is a developing story. Return to delawareonline.com for updates.

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