As New Jersey’s leaders aim to pass a bill by the end of next month to legalize marijuana in the state, they’re grappling with a damned-if-they-do, damned-if-they-don’t dilemma that’s threatening their efforts. After more than a year of debate and wrangling, Gov. Phil Murphy and his fellow top Democrats remain a few votes short of the number they need […]
New Jersey
Phil Murphy sets May deadline for New Jersey legal marijuana vote, what’s next?
When Gov. Phil Murphy came into office, he vowed to legalize marijuana within 100 days. Now? It’s looking like weed may not be legalized until 500 days into Murphy’s tenure — at the earliest. The push for New Jersey marijuana legalization hit a roadblock last month when scheduled votes on the bill to legalize weed were […]
New Jersey Calls For Big Increase In Number Of Medical Marijuana Dispensaries
New Jersey health officials on Monday recommended a huge increase in the number of medicinal marijuana dispensaries, arguing that the current handful of so-called Alternative Treatment Centers won’t be nearly enough to meet surging demand. The Department of Health said the state will need 50 to 90 of the centers in the next three years […]
Why the Plan to Legalize Marijuana in New Jersey Suddenly Unraveled
All the elements for swiftly legalizing marijuana in New Jersey seemed to be in place: A proposed bill was enthusiastically backed by Gov. Philip D. Murphy and had been endorsed by leaders of the Democratic-controlled State Legislature. Also, statewide polls showed support for the issue. Then the plans unraveled. Some lawmakers were unsure about how […]
Effort to Legalize Marijuana in New Jersey Collapses
A monthslong effort to legalize marijuana in New Jersey collapsed on Monday after Democrats were unable to muster enough support for the measure, derailing a central campaign pledge by Gov. Philip D. Murphy and leaving the future of the legalization movement in doubt. The failure in the Legislature marks one of the biggest setbacks for […]
Legal weed won’t happen right now in N.J. Lawmakers call off big vote.
Top state lawmakers have canceled a planned vote Monday on a bill that would legalize recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older in New Jersey, saying they simply haven’t gathered enough support in the state Senate. But they vowed to take up the measure — one of Gov. Phil Murphy’s signature proposals — at a […]
New Jersey scheduled to vote on legal marijuana today … but will it pass?
It all comes down to this. The state Legislature today is scheduled to make a decision on marijuana legalization, with the landmark bill to legalize, tax and regulate weed scheduled for votes in the Senate and Assembly. Either the legal weed bill will go up for a vote, putting New Jersey on track to legalize […]
Legal marijuana for N.J. takes a huge step forward. We now expect final votes next week.
New Jersey took another big step toward legal weed on Monday, as two state legislative committees approved a new bill that would legalize recreational marijuana in the Garden State, setting up historic votes in the full state Legislature next week. The committees took hours to vote after lawmakers wrangled over last-minute changes to the measure […]
NJ marijuana legalization: Phil Murphy, legislators announce legal weed deal. Is a vote next?
After more than a year of negotiations, Gov. Phil Murphy and legislative leaders have reached a final deal on New Jersey marijuana legalization. A vote to legalize weed in the Garden State could come later this month. “Legalizing adult-use marijuana is a monumental step to reducing disparities in our criminal justice system,” Murphy said in a […]
Expungement debate threatens to hold up marijuana legalization
Ask most supporters of marijuana legalization and they’ll tell you that, yes, it’s a new industry that will generate millions of dollars in sales taxes for the state. But, more importantly, according to Gov. Phil Murphy, “First and foremost this is a social justice issue.” And that means expungement — or setting aside criminal convictions […]
Marijuana Tax in New Jersey? It Could be $42 an Ounce
Gov. Philip D. Murphy and Democratic legislative leaders in New Jersey have reached an agreement that could place the state on a path to legalizing recreational marijuana this year if they are able to win enough support in the state legislature. The agreement, which establishes how marijuana would be taxed and sets parameters on a […]
Majority of New Jersey residents favor legalizing recreational marijuana, poll shows
New Jersey lawmakers may still be working out details on just how to legalize marijuana. But one thing is for certain: The majority of the state’s residents are for it, according to a new poll. Results of a Monmouth University poll, released Monday morning, show 62 percent of adults in the Garden State support a […]
N.J. mayors threaten to ban weed dispensaries if lawmakers don’t meet their demands
The mayors of New Jersey’s two biggest towns won’t allow marijuana dispensaries in their cities unless they are happy with how the legalization bill addresses previous weed convictions. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop joined a handful of other town leaders from across the state Wednesday to call for stronger social justice […]
N.J. just doubled its medical marijuana program. See where the 6 new dispensaries will be.
After months of delays that exacerbated a marijuana supply shortage for patients, New Jersey has now effectively doubled the size of its medical marijuana program. The state Department of Health on Monday revealed the six medical marijuana dispensaries it picked to add to the program. If those six get up and running, New Jersey would have 12 […]
New Jersey Bill Considers Marijuana Delivery
Door-to-door marijuana delivery? Marijuana cafes? Maybe. New Jersey is inching toward becoming the 11th state to legalize marijuana for recreational use, though a vote this year on a bill to make the drug legal is nearly impossible. The final day of voting in the State Legislature this year is Monday, and it appears the bill […]
New Jersey Legalization Bill Allows Employers To Fire Over Marijuana Use
New Jersey residents eagerly awaiting the chance to use marijuana without fear of arrest will have one more hurdle to pass before they are home free: their employer. The New Jersey bill legalizing recreational marijuana includes an amendment that allows employers to prohibit employees from using drugs, even if it means testing for marijuana. “Even […]
NJ Bill Legalizing Adult-Use Marijuana Gains Committee Approval
Legislation that would legalize adult use marijuana in New Jersey gained the approval of a Senate committee today. Sponsored by Senator Nicholas Scutari and Senate President Steve Sweeney, the bill, S-2703, would legalize the possession and use of limited amounts of marijuana for adults 21 and older and create an organizational and regulatory system to […]
Hearings Set for Marijuana Bill in New Jersey
Local municipalities will have the option of levying a 2 percent tax on weed sales for their own coffers, in addition to a 12 percent state tax on cannabis sales, under a long-awaited bill to make the drug legal for recreational use in the Garden State. That and other components of the proposed bill—sponsored by […]
