Sen. Gerald Cardinale, R-Bergen, is the primary sponsor of S3407, introduced Thursday. The bill legalizes possession of six or fewer marijuana plants once Murphy signs a legalization bill into law.
“The people of New Jersey made it clear in November that they want to lift the prohibition on cannabis,” Cardinale said in a statement. “Since then, the Legislature has spent three months fumbling around with what should have been a simple task, and complicated the legalization effort with countless fees, licensing and extra layers of bureaucracy.”
Medical marijuana patients have long called for the state to allow them to grow their own plants. The strained medical cannabis program in New Jersey has led to high prices and product shortages, and those who want to grow their own medicine see it as a work around for the program’s hurdles.
But Democratic lawmakers, while pursuing legalization, have said they do not want to allow home grow just yet. Cardinale’s bill would affect not just medical patients, but allow growing for personal use, too.
Currently, growing five plants or less can result in three to five years in prison and a $25,000 fine. Many states with medical marijuana programs allow patients to grow their own cannabis at home.