The legislation, called the “New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory and Expungement Modernization Act,” outlines how to organize and regulate a new cannabis industry, who would benefit from it and by how much, and sets social reform as a key target. It was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee with a vote of 6-4-1 on Monday night. A panel of the Assembly Appropriations Committee also moved the bill by a 6-1-2 vote.
With both committees’ nod, New Jersey edged closer to becoming only the second state after Colorado to establish regulations for marijuana use as an act of the legislature. If the measure is voted through and signed by Gov. Phil Murphy, it would become the 11th in the nation to approve adult, recreational use of marijuana that permits the cultivation and sale of cannabis, joining Colorado, California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Alaska, Maine, Massachusetts and Michigan.
On Tuesday, a spokesman for the Senate Majority Office said the goal was to have the bill voted by the full Senate on Monday. The upper chamber’s board list was not yet finalized for Monday, but a spokeswoman for the Assembly Majority Office said the Assembly had the marijuana bill on its board list for Monday already.
Monday’s committee approvals didn’t come easy or early. There were several hours of “fine-tuning” by legislative staff on the bill, and discussion by lawmakers as to whether the measure was even going to come up at all.