Lawmakers in New Jersey will try again to make adult-use cannabis legal in their state, according to a story from NJ.com. The story reports that New Jersey state Senate President Stephen Sweeney says there is a “50/50” possibility it may actually happen this time. He also says he will “put his best effort into it”.
Earlier this year, there were talks about legalizing adult-use cannabis in the Garden State, but the bill died because of a lack of votes. New Jersey senators say that they will begin making another push to legalize adult-use cannabis in their state after upcoming elections on November 5th.
When the bill was voted on earlier this year, Sweeney says it was two votes shy of passing. There were 19 ‘yes’ votes, but there needed to be 21 to make it a reality.
“Since I’ve been Senate president, this is the issue I committed to that I’ve had the toughest time getting over the finish line,” Sweeney said.
Sweeney added that there is both bipartisan support and opposition to legalizing adult-use cannabis in New Jersey, with both Democrats and Republicans having their personal opinions on the matter. Sweeney called it a “generational issue” and pointed out that Senators who oppose legalization in the Garden State are mostly older. “You can only push so hard on people, when it’s really their belief,” he said.