As Delaware’s first marijuana commissioner, Rob Coupe has worked for the past 18 months to roll out the state’s adult-use cannabis program. But the governor appointee won’t be around to oversee the final stages before dispensary sales commence later this year.

After 40 years in public service, including 28 years with the Delaware State Police as a colonel who served as superintended after his time as a trooper, Coupe announced on Jan. 3 that he’s stepping down from his position as the state’s top cannabis regulator.

Upon retiring from his police work in 2012, Coupe also served as commissioner of the Delaware Department of Correction, cabinet secretary of the state’s Department of Safety and Homeland Security, and chief of staff of the Delaware Department of Justice.

After the Delaware General Assembly passed legislation to legalize adult-use cannabis that was enacted without Democratic Gov. John Carney’s signature in April 2023, Carney nominated Coupe to oversee the program. Coupe was confirmed and sworn in in July 2023.

Now, Coupe plans to leave his public post to pursue work in the private sector.

“It has been an honor to serve in this role and a privilege to work alongside the dedicated women and men of the Office of the Marijuana Commissioner (OMC),” Coupe said in a public statement. “Throughout my career, I have been inspired to be at my best and earn the right each day to work alongside such talented individuals. I am grateful for all the people that have supported me throughout this journey.”

Despite being selected by Carney—an anti-legalization governor who had vetoed the legislature’s previous attempt to enact an adult-use bill in 2022—Coupe made it his mission as the marijuana commissioner to set up a successful cannabis program that was in line with state lawmakers’ intentions.

No matter one’s opinions, “the law is the law,” Coupe told Cannabis Business Times in April 2024. And with cannabis now legal under Delaware law, Coupe said his background as a law enforcement officer taught him to enforce the law without bias.

Despite Carney’s opposition to legalizing adult-use cannabis, the governor picked Coupe as the state’s first marijuana commissioner, in part, for this reason.

“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,” Carney said in a public statement on Jan. 3. “I knew he was the right person to take on the challenge of serving as Delaware’s first marijuana commissioner, and he has proven his success leading that office.”

During the past 18 months, Coupe supported legislation that Carney signed in October that granted legal protections to financial institutions wishing to provide banking and other services to cannabis-related businesses licensed under state law.

Coupe also prompted a legislative effort to provide a pathway for the state’s existing medical cannabis operators to participate in the state’s forthcoming adult-use market to help kickstart the program. Carney signed legislation in July related to that path for medical cannabis licensees to automatically convert their permits.

Under Coupe’s direction, the Division of Public Health’s medical marijuana program merged with the OCM to help create a unified structure to support both the medical and adult-use markets.

RELATED: Delaware Marijuana Commissioner Works to Include Medical Operators to Kickstart Adult-Use Sales

Coupe also spearheaded the office’s drafting and adoption of final regulations for adult-use cannabis businesses; organized social equity workshops and an eligibility validation application system geared toward providing opportunities for an inclusive industry; and opened a license application process that drew more than 1,250 applicants and more than $4 million in fees.

In October, the OCM held lotteries to award 110 licenses for cultivation, manufacturing, testing lab and social equity licenses out of a pool of 729 applicants.

And, on Dec. 19, the office conducted a lottery to award 15 dispensary licenses to non-social equity retailers out of a pool of 529 eligible applicants. These licenses are in addition to 15 social equity licenses for dispensaries and the state’s six vertically integrated medical marijuana compassion centers that currently operate 13 dispensaries.

Before leaving public service, Coupe’s goal was to set up a commercial marketplace with adult-use sales commencing by as early as March 2025. The OCM appears on track to hit this target.

“Commissioner Coupe’s dedication and hard work to implement the recreational marijuana market in our state has been remarkable,” Safety and Homeland Security Secretary Nathaniel McQueen Jr. said in a public statement. “We thank the commissioner for his decades of exemplary service and leadership. He leaves a legacy of transparency, integrity and commitment that continues to inspire us all.”