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.
Township officials are the latest in Ocean County to mount an attack against the legalization of recreational marijuana, defiantly opposing Gov. Phil Murphy's efforts to greenlight the pot industry in New Jersey
Barnegat Mayor Alfonso Cirulli is taking an anti-pot petition to churches and residents throughout the township to garner support. Last week, the Township Committee also passed a resolution opposing legalization of recreational use.
With rumblings that New Jersey legislators could vote to legalize marijuana for recreational use within the next month, interest in launching cannabis businesses in the Garden State has never been higher.
Ellie Siegel, a Philadelphia lawyer and cannabis consultant, wants to ensure that minorities and women get a chance to participate in the state’s emerging weed economy. Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York and Maryland are also weighing legalizing marijuana this year for adult use.
If adult-use cannabis is legalized in New Jersey, it is crucial that the state decouples from the federal law governing cannabis — Internal Revenue Code 280(E) — to have a viable cannabis industry. As it stands, the federal provisions in IRS Code 280(E) make it impossible for cannabis business owners to receive a tax benefit for any of their operating expenses due to cannabis’ status as a federally controlled substance. This creates an immense challenge to the cash flow of cannabis operations in the United States.
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.
There’s a good possibility a deal will be announced this week on legislation to authorize adult-use cannabis, expand the medical marijuana program and provide a path for expungement for marijuana possession offenses.
Several sources told NJ Cannabis Media a deal may be imminent. Multiple sources have said the same thing to other media outlets.
Until last year, every state that had legalized marijuana had done so at the polls, with voters approving legal weed.
When Phil Murphy won the race for governor in 2017, it seemed possible that New Jersey would become the first state to legalize marijuana through the Legislature. But in January 2018, Vermont did just that.
New Jersey then seemed primed to become the second state to legislate legal weed. But delay after delay has led some lawmakers to wonder whether the state would be better letting the voters decide.
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 deal is now official, as iAnthus Capital Holdings, Inc. has closed on its acquisition of MPX Bioceutical Corporation.
The combined company now has operations in 11 states which includes 63 retail locations and 15 cultivation/processing facilities.