The Assembly Appropriations and Senate Judiciary committees will hold hearings on the bill package, with the Assembly committee convening at noon and the Senate committee starting at 2 p.m.
If the bill clears both committees, they could be headed for a floor vote as soon as next week. But that's only if the bill has enough votes to ensure passage, said Kevin McArdle, a spokesman for the Assembly Democratic caucus.
"If we post that bill for a vote on March 25, it will pass," McArdle said.
Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, said last week that the marijuana legalization bill "wasn't far away" from getting the 21 votes required to pass in the Senate. Senators received a copy of the bill on Thursday, and Sweeney said Democratic leaders would begin "talking to the Republicans pretty soon."
At least a few Republican "yes" votes are key, as they will replace the "no" votes expected by some prominent Democrats.