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Only two days before a planned vote on whether to legalize marijuana in New Jersey, state leaders remain a handful of votes short of the number they need to pass the measure, NJ Advance Media has learned.

As of Saturday evening, Gov. Phil Murphy and fellow top Democratic officials have either 16 or 17 members of the state Senate committed to voting for the bill Monday, according to five sources with direct knowledge of the situation.

But they need 21 votes for the legislation to pass. That means four lawmakers would have to come onboard — and that could involve the tough task of getting those who are publicly against the proposal to flip sides, according to the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly about the matter.

“It’s an uphill climb,” one source said.

Both houses of the Democratic-controlled state Legislature — the Senate and the Assembly — need to pass the bill for Murphy to sign it into law.

The sources said the Assembly is expected to have the 41 votes needed for the measure to pass there. But the lower house won’t move forward with voting if the proposal doesn’t have the votes in the Senate, according to the sources.

Murphy and other leaders have spent much of this week calling lawmakers to whip up votes. Supporters of the proposal also got high-profle help Friday from actress Whoopi Goldberg, a West Orange resident who called a few lawmakers on the fence or leaning no.

But two sources said even though Murphy has “burned up” the phones, the governor has managed to flip only one legislator from “no” to “yes”: state Sen. Nicholas Sacco, D-Hudson. Another source said Murphy has flipped two lawmakers.

Behind the scenes, some insiders have noted that state Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, hasn’t been able to convince five South Jersey allies in the Senate to vote yes. Others say Murphy has been unable to persuade a handful of allies in the north — especially state Sen. Richard Codey, D-Essex, a former governor who is staunchly opposed to legal pot.

Still, three sources said they still see "a path” to 21 votes in the Senate.

Sources said Nia Gill, D-Essex, is leaning yes, though she hasn’t committed. One source said Nilsa Cruz-Perez, D-Camden, is a possible yes.

So far, a number of Democratic senators remain in the “no” column — in the north, Codey and Ronald Rice, D-Essex, and in the south, Dawn Addiego, D-Burlington; Bob Andrzejczak, D-Cape May; James Beach, D-Camden; and Fred Madden, D-Gloucester.

A number of other senators remain undecided.

Then, there are Republican senators. Sources said they still hope to convince Christopher “Kip” Bateman, R-Somerset, and Declan O’Scanlon, R-Monmouth, even though both have said publicly this week they would vote no.

“We’re not giving up,” one source said.

The bill would legalize, tax, and regulate recreational marijuana for those 21 and older in New Jersey.

Murphy promised to legalize pot during his campaign, saying it would not only bring in more tax revenue but create a whole new industry and help improve social justice in the state.

Recent polls have found a majority of New Jerseyans support legal weed.

But detractors have said it could hurt public safety, lead users to more serious drug use, and negatively impact communities of color.

If the vote falls apart, another may not be scheduled until the end of the year.

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

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