While the parties are closer than ever to a deal on legalization of cannabis, it’s unlikely all the details – and ayes – will be nailed down for a vote on Feb. 21.
Governor Phil Murphy, State Senate President Stephen Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin have reportedly reached agreement on two major issues that have held up passage of the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory and Expungement Aid Modernization Act (S2703), the Jake Honig Compassionate Use Medical Cannabis Act (S10) and s3205, which revises certain procedures for expungement of records of conviction.
Reports from multiple outlets this weekend indicate New Jersey legislators hope to vote on a proposal by the end of this month that would make marijuana legal for adult use.
Gov. Phil Murphy has long wanted marijuana to be legal, and campaigned on the issue in 2017. Murphy said during his State of the State address in January it’s something he hopes to accomplish.
New Jersey is poised to legalize adult-use marijuana within weeks, after Gov. Phil Murphy and state legislative leaders reportedly reached a tentative agreement on how to regulate and tax the program.
Murphy and state Senate President Steve Sweeney, both Democrats, had been deadlocked on a tax rate, with Murphy favoring a high retail sales rate.
The agreement reportedly calls for a sales tax based on weight or quantity, such as per ounce of marijuana sold.
A Monmouth University poll finds more than 6 in 10 New Jersey residents support legalizing marijuana and half say a current proposal to make it happen is a good idea. This as legislators say they are closer to an agreement.
Pot? Or not?
The stalemate between Gov. Phil Murphy and other state leaders over marijuana appears to have been broken. The primary sponsor of the bill to legalize says they have reached a deal on how to tax and regulate the drug, CBS2’s Meg Baker reported Monday.
Gov. Phil Murphy and Senate President Steve Sweeney appear to have a deal on the legalization of marijuana, according to two sources familiar with the negotiations.
The agreement between the governor and the senate leader will still need the approval of the Legislature.
Gov. Phil Murphy and legislative leaders have reached a broad agreement on a bill to legalize recreational marijuana in New Jersey, according to four sources familiar with the negotiations.
“The consensus on the broad strokes is relatively fresh, so the details are still being worked out,” one source with direct knowledge of the talks told POLITICO.
State Sen. Nicholas Scutari played a key role in the negotiations, the source said. The Union County Democrat could not immediately be reached for comment Friday evening.
Legislative leaders might waive the advice and consent process on Gov. Phil Murphy’s nominees to a proposed commission that would govern New Jersey‘s legal cannabis market, three legislative sources said. The softening of the lawmakers’ stance could help clear the way for a deal on marijuana legalization that could come by the end of the week, the sources said.
After compromising on legislation to increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour, Gov. Phil Murphy's administration is back on the same page — or at least a similar one — with Senate President Stephen Sweeney.
The newfound collaboration has cannabis entrepreneurs and advocates hopeful that a legal weed law could be enacted before the spring.
State leaders have made significant progress on plans to legalize marijuana in New Jersey and could move forward on new legislation as early as next week.
Several sources close to the negotiations told NJ.com that an updated legalization bill and renewed debate in the state Legislature could come “any day now," though when exactly a new measure might be introduced and when a vote could be held remains unclear. Also unclear: whether it would pass a vote.
The debate in New Jersey over how and when cannabis could or should be legalized continues to take place in Trenton. Earlier this year, sentiment began to grow for the first time that if progress was not made, legalization could potentially be turned over to a ballot question. Cannabis could still be legalized through a ballot question, but that would be a more complicated legislative process that would be delayed until possibly 2020.