By Claude Brodesser-Akner | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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On Monday, Gov. Chris Christie came out swinging against legalizing recreational marijuana in New Jersey, calling the idea "beyond stupidity" and vowing it will never happen on his watch.

But his watch is set to expire in January, and Democrats plan to introduce a bill making recreational pot legal to buy and possess. Last November, states including Arizona, California, Massachusetts and Maine voted to legalize marijuana. New Jersey currently allows medical marijuana.

Proponents say legalizing marijuana could play a huge role in criminal justice reform, and that it could generate $300 million in tax revenue, something Christie derided as less than one percent of the state budget — nothing more than "a rounding error."

Here's how all the Republicans and Democrats scrapping to replace Christie stand on legalizing pot.

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The Democrats

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Bill Brennan

Activist and former Teaneck firefighter Bill Brennan favors legalizing marijuana, saying it "will generate revenue and reduce the burden on our criminal justice system while generating new employment opportunities."

"Tourists will come for marijuana," wrote Brennan in email to NJ Advance Media.

He added that he favors applying a sales tax for those who retail it and a payroll tax on employees who grow it. He says "medical marijuana ought be covered by prescription drug insurance and cover more illnesses than are now permitted."

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Jim Johnson

A spokeswoman for former U.S. Treasury undersecretary Jim Johnson says he wants “not just decriminalize it, but legalize it" for recreational use, and favors expanding medicinal marijuana, provided its “regulated in a safe manner."

And while Johnson acknowledges it's been a cash cow for Colorado, he doesn’t believe the issue should be tied to revenue in New Jersey.

"I come at it from a criminal justice perspective," said Johnson, a former federal prosecutor. During a recent appearance on The Karen Hunter Show on Sirius XM, he explained that "the use of marijuana is one of those areas where you see gross disparities between how black and brown youngsters and their white counterparts are treated."

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Raymond Lesniak

State Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) co-sponsored the state’s medical marijuana law, and said he "would expand its use based on medical certification as best treatment for pain."

But while he "would decriminalize" marijuana usage, as the senator who led the fight to create the state’s first addiction recovery high school in 2014, Lesniak says he’s not ready to support recreational pot legalization "because of its potential adverse impact on youth."

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Phil Murphy

Derek Roseman, a spokesman for former U.S. Ambassador to Germany Phil Murphy, says that "we support full legalization" of marijuana, adding that Murphy would also be in favor of having it taxed.

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John Wisniewski

According to campaign spokesman Greg Minchak, Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex) supports "improving the availability of medical marijuana," and the "decriminalization of the possession, sale and use of marijuana."

But before you can run out and buy an ounce, Minchak says that the assemblyman wants to see "the creation of a legal market so it can be taxed for revenue."

He said Wisniewski's reasoning is driven by concern for social justice.

Keeping weed criminalized "puts far too large a percentage of people of color in prison when compared to whites” and "wastes scarce law enforcement resources that can be better used for more important uses, like combatting the proliferation of handguns from out of state that are being used in violent crimes," Minchak said.

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Mark Zinna

A spokesman for the Tenafly borough council president’s campaign says Zinna "believes in fully legalizing marijuana use” for both recreational and medicinal use.

Zinna believes that doing so will “create $500 million in tax revenue” which could then be put into mental health and addiction treatment.

"About 1.5 million black men are no longer in their communities because of the war on drugs. They are dead or behind bars,” said said Zinna campaign spokesman Harry Manin. "By legalizing marijuana we can stop treating our cities like criminal panopticons."

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The Republicans

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Jack Ciattarelli

Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli (R-Somerset) said that he approves of medical marijuana "whenever and whichever medical practitioners rules its appropriate of the management of pain."

However, he only favors of decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana "for those caught with marijuana for recreational use possessions" and not "outright legalization."

Ciattarelli said he supports creating a system similar to that used to penalize motorists for driving under the influence.

"If you’re constantly being found out in public under the influence of marijuana, it’s not that different than a DWI,” said Ciattarelli. "So I’d be in favor of a point system. If you’re caught repeatedly within a specific time period, I think you get to a certain point where we need to help you with rehabilitation because it would seem that you’re dealing with a very dangerous addiction."

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Kim Guadagno

A spokesman for Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno's campaign, Ricky Diaz, said that while she "is opposed to legalization, she supports medical marijuana."



As governor, Diaz said Guadagno "would look to loosen some of New Jersey's medical marijuana regulations and make it more easily obtainable for those who have medical needs," like when it comes to providing medical marijuana to veterans diagnosed with PTSD.





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Hirsh Singh



Hirsh Singh, an Atlantic County aerospace and defense engineer, says that he supports cannabis for "both recreational and medical purposes" but says it "should be regulated and taxed similar to alcohol," with a portion of the revenues dedicated to treat drug addiction as a public health problem.



He supports "growing, developing, and manufacturing a hemp textile industry" that would help address New Jersey's fiscal crisis.



Singh says the "current pervasive illegal use of marijuana throughout society" is proof that laws are "outdated and out of touch" and he would "redirect law enforcement resources to fight serious crimes" and "reform penalties for nonviolent drug offenders who needlessly overcrowded the prison system."

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Steve Rogers

Nutley town commissioner Steve Rogers is in favor expanding the use of medical marijuana to include mental health issues "and any other medical issue that a doctor determines that it should be prescribed."

However, the former police officer -- who gained gained national fame in the late ’90s for writing himself a parking ticket -- is "opposed to legalizing it for recreational use."

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Joseph Rullo

Joseph Rudy Rullo, an Ocean County businessman and actor, favors legalization, and says he will "earmark a portion of recreational marijuana revenues to pay down pension debt and fund the Transportation Trust Fund."

He sees hemp production as a means to “bring back the Garden State for our farmers” by mandating all marijuana be grown in New Jersey.

Rullo also wants to expand the medicinal marijuana industry by broadening the spectrum of qualified conditions.

"As governor I will eliminate the $200 start up fee and state sales tax on each purchase of medicinal marijuana,” said Rullo in an email to NJ Advance Media. "This is a burden on cancer patients, and veterans with PTSD. Opiates and other medicines are not charged sales tax or the $200 fee."

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See how your candidates for governor stand on other big N.J. issues

Claude Brodesser-Akner may be reached at cbrodesser@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ClaudeBrodesser. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.