What once seemed like a slam dunk, no brainer, cinch, fizzled as legalization supporters allegedly had enough Assembly votes for passing the measure but came up short with Senate affirmations.
Lawmakers may try again although it’s more likely a 2020 public ballot referendum determines whether marijuana gains legal status.
Please withhold all beliefs about legalization certainty as many municipalities have positioned against weed.
At least, 40 municipalities across the state either banned marijuana businesses or officially voiced opposition to legal weed.
Murphy recently voiced confidence about legalization saying, “We can get it done legislatively and I’m prepared and certainly open-minded and quite supportive for the Legislature to go back at it and find those last couple of votes we didn’t quite get...But that can’t be an unending calendar."
The end of May looks like the drop-dead date before government officials rearrange deck chairs on what looms as a titanic political loss for Gov. Phil Murphy.