That was deliberate, said bill sponsor Sen. Nick Scutari, D-Union. There are simply too many problems to solve: What if the neighbors don't like it? What if a home grower sells some of their weed on the black market — the same black market that marijuana legalization is supposed to run out of business?
“Growing your own would not have the same testing procedures as these places that grow them under strict supervision. And we want to ensure that businesses have an opportunity to flourish," Scutari told Philadelphia radio station WHYY, in explaining his opposition to home grow.
Legalizing marijuana — while keeping home grow illegal — would make New Jersey an outlier. It would join Washington — where home grow has been a galvanizing topic since weed was legalized — as the only "legal weed" states that deny users permission to grow their own.