FRANKFORD, Del. – Recreational marijuana sales are now legal in Delaware, and The Farm Dispensary in Frankford is among the first in Sussex County to open its doors under the new law.
The shop, which offers a variety of cannabis products and both medical and recreational pot, is already drawing local interest. CEO Jennifer Stark said the dispensary fills a gap in access for southern Delaware residents and could help spur growth in the area.
“We identified this location because there wasn’t another dispensary nearby,” Stark said. “There was a need in this area. So if there's a restaurant in the area and they stop, they may also stop there. They'll stop at the dispensary."
The opening received strong support from Frankford Town Manager Sheldon Hudson who says the town chose not to restrict cannabis retail, treating it like any other business.
“The town of Frankford viewed cannabis retail just like any other retail,” Hudson said. “We had the option to restrict sales, and we decided not to.”
Hudson believes the dispensary could be a catalyst for broader economic development in the area.
“My hope is that this will snowball—this will be the tip of the spear—and we’ll see a lot more retail growth in the months and years to come,” he said.
CoastTV spoke with Frankford Family Diner Owner Fatih Ocak, who says he wasn't aware of The Farm's opening and hasn't noticed any change in his business in the first week.
Many other towns and cities in Sussex County have opted not to allow the sale of recreational marijuana.
Milford Mayor Todd Culotta says more would need to be sorted out first.
"The municipalities don't see any of that revenue the way the current law stands. So if the municipalities saw tax revenue from it, that would help support police enforcement and things like that, but right now that's not the case," said Culotta.
Over in Millsboro, Town Manager Jamie Burk, says the reason council voted against it was because of the state wouldn't be sharing any of the revenue with municipalities.
"Business is booming in Millsboro, even without dispensaries - I don't see how it would benefit any of our local businesses. If you come to Millsboro, it's always busy here and we're leading the pack in building permits and other growth. We've got Beebe putting in a new ER and TidalHealth doing a 150-square-foot medical campus. I don't think this would have any effect on that. Those two projects are going to bring in way more revenue and visitors to the town than recreational marijuana by a long shot," said Burk.
Lewes Mayor Amy Marasco says there would have to be a different cost share for it to be beneficial.
"There was no financial benefit or incentive to consider it in our city. In addition, to folks being very mixed about having it - It's a business that the state regulates, and it's attractive for certain folks and I can see that but it's also a cash based business. It does not use credit cards is my understanding and so cash businesses also create potential law enforcement issues," said Marasco. "So I think there are a lot of little hurdles, so we'll watch it. Lewes will watch and we'll see if things change but at this point, I'm confident our council will keep the position that we had."
In Fenwick Island, officials say they want to remain a family-friendly beach area and it's not worth allowing sales when they see none of the profit.