State leaders have made significant progress on plans to legalize marijuana in New Jersey and could move forward on new legislation as early as next week.
Several sources close to the negotiations told NJ.com that an updated legalization bill and renewed debate in the state Legislature could come “any day now," though when exactly a new measure might be introduced and when a vote could be held remains unclear. Also unclear: whether it would pass a vote.
But the recent progress on taxes and regulation, plus a push to act on legal weed before the Legislature gets bogged down with the state budget and other legislation in the next few months, has nudged negotiations closer to resolution, the sources say.
“Once we get out of the first quarter, we get into budget world,” New Jersey Cannabis Industry Association President Hugh O’Beirne said, referencing the June 30 deadline for the state to enact a budget. “If it’s going to happen, (legalization) has to happen in the next few weeks.”