The Assembly Oversight, Reform and Federal Relations Committee hosted a public hearing on pot—the first action taken on the issue in the Assembly under Speaker Craig Coughlin (D-Middlesex). The committee did not consider specific legislation and plans three more public hearings across the state.
Monday’s hearing comes as the Democratic Murphy is drafting his first budget, which he will unveil later this month, and as he tries to make good on promises to ramp up education and pension spending. Murphy has estimated that marijuana legalization could bring in roughly $300 million in revenue for the state. That’s just a fraction of what he would need to finance his proposals, though the governor cautions that he won’t fulfill his pledges “overnight.”