A push to legalize recreational marijuana in New York and New Jersey this year appears all but dead in both states, a dramatic fall for an effort that just over a month ago seemed inevitable.
For months, the two states were locked in a race to legalize, vying for millions in tax revenue and progressive bragging rights. But at the end of March, the campaign in New Jersey abruptly collapsed, hours before a vote was supposed to take place.
New Jersey’s failure had a coattail effect in New York: It emboldened opponents and eased pressure on some of legalization’s most important allies, including Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who had declared legalization a priority for the first 100 days of the session.
But as that deadline approached, Mr. Cuomo declared that negotiations were too complicated; within days of New Jersey’s failure, the effort in New York, too, was shelved.
In the weeks since, the inertia in each state has continued to fuel more of the same in the other, with even staunch proponents of legalization seemingly resigned to waiting until next year.
Democratic leadership in New Jersey, including Gov. Philip D. Murphy, has remained focused on an upcoming budget battle and an investigation into tax credits. Legislators in New York, who had emphasized the importance of pre-empting New Jersey, have not discussed marijuana in private conferences since March.