THE LATEST: N.J.’s marijuana bill nearly ‘dead.’ That means you may get to vote on making weed legal.

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Talk has gotten increasingly louder in Trenton lately that New Jersey’s leaders are losing hope they’ll be able to secure enough votes in the state Legislature to legalize marijuana and may have the state’s voters decide at the ballot box instead.

But Gov. Phil Murphy said Thursday he hasn’t given up on passing the bill, even though he admitted a voter referendum is a possibility.

“We came very close to this not that long ago,” Murphy said during an unrelated news conference outside his office in Trenton. “It just didn’t get there.”

“The referendum has always been out there as an option,” the Democratic governor added. “Only one state has done this legislatively. That’s Vermont.”

“We have felt that this is a better way to go,” Murphy continued. “It takes more courage. It’s a tough vote for many. We understand that. That’s still, in my opinion, the preferred route. I want to exhaust that with legislative leadership before we talk about a plan B.”

Standing next to him, state Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin said a ballot question remains an option.

“We’re still not over the goal line,” Coughlin, D-Middlesex, said. “We have work to do. Whether in fact we get there or not remains to be seen. And if we don’t, then I think we need to continue to look for ways to do it.”

Murphy campaigned on legalizing marijuana, not just for the tax revenue but to improve social justice in the state. He routinely cites statistics that show people of color are three times as likely to be arrested for marijuana offenses than whites in New Jersey.

But even though his fellow Democrats control the Legislature, lawmakers from both major parties have been against the idea. In March, a planned vote in the state Legislature on the bill was canceled when it became clear there weren’t enough votes in the state Senate.

Leaders hoped to hold another vote in May. They say it’s better to do this legislatively rather than through a referendum because it gives them more flexibility to shape and fix the program, while leaving it to voters is less predictable.

But multiple sources have told NJ Advance Media a vote in the Legislature looks increasingly unlikely, and the chances are growing that voters will decide — whether it be this November or next.

One source said Thursday that it would “definitely” be next year, because voter turnout is expected to be larger, with a presidential race on the ticket.

Murphy, Coughlin, and state Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, were scheduled to meet about a number of issues, including pot.

But Sweeney skipped at the last minute.

“I had (another) meeting,” he told NJ Advance Media. “It was an important meeting. It was a good meeting.”

The move comes as tension continues to mount between Murphy and Sweeney over an investigation into the state’s tax break program. The panel is examining whether companies with ties to South Jersey power broker George Norcross III, a Sweeney ally, misused the incentives.

Norcross on Wednesday defended himself in an interview with NJ Advance Media, saying the breaks were used to help revive his hometown of Camden and calling Murphy a “liar.”

Murphy and Coughlin both stressed Thursday that the state needs to legalize weed to get away from “the status quo.”

“How could anyone be happy with the status quo?” Murphy asked. “Our kids are exposed, the bad guys run the business, none of the social injustices have been addressed.”

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

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