TRENTON — Saying smoking marijuana should be as accessible to adults as drinking a beer, state Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D-Union) today introduced what is sure to be an ambitious bill that would legalize the sale and possession of pot — and even allow people to grow their own.

The agency that policies alcohol beverage sales and enforcement would be retooled as the Division of Alcoholic Beverage and Marijuana Control to police the law, if enacted, Scutari said.

Scutari, Linden's prosecutor who says he has never tried marijuana, brushed aside concerns that Gov. Chris Christie has firmly stated he will never sign a pot legalization bill if it ever made it to his desk.

"He's not going to be the governor forever," he said. The governor is "a man of facts" and when he sees the revenue possibilities and the savings in halting the enforcement of failed marijuana laws, he may change his mind, Scutari said.

Scutari said he was following the lead of Colorado, which legalized the possession and sale on January 1, and netted $2 million in sales tax the first month. New Jersey could realize at least $100 million in revenue, which he would divide between the nearly-broke Transportation Trust Fund, drug enforcement and prevention efforts, and women's health programs, which Christie has cut since he took office in 2010.

Scutari said he was using alcohol regulation enforcement as a model for the marijuana industry. Although many specifics have yet to be determined, Scutari said he would not impose "a strict limit" on the number of cultivation licenses that would be made available.

"We want to make it available," he said. "How many liquor stores are in your town?"

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been changed to reflect Scutari has submitted the bill for introduction.

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