Gov. Phil Murphy said Tuesday that New Jersey should cut down on arrests for marijuana possession by decriminalizing the drug “as soon as possible” now that the fate of legalizing pot won’t be decided until a voter referendum next November.

Murphy, a Democrat, has pushed for the Garden State to legalize weed outright and has long said merely decriminalizing it would boost the black market. But he now says decriminalization is needed as a stopgag measure in the months leading up to the referendum.

Decriminalization would not make marijuana legal. And it’s unclear exactly what decriminalization would look like in New Jersey, if approved by state lawmakers.

But in general, people found in possession of pot would likely receive some sort of fine instead of being arrested. It would not make it legal to sell weed.

“Decriminalization of adult-use marijuana cannot be our long-term solution, but we now must turn to it for critical short-term relief while we await a ballot measure on legalization next November," Murphy said in a statement Tuesday morning. “Maintaining a status quo that sees roughly 600 individuals, disproportionately people of color, arrested in New Jersey every week for low-level drug offenses is wholly unacceptable.”

Murphy said he plans to work with leaders in state Legislature to “pass sensible decriminalization legislation as soon as possible.”

Both houses of the Democratic-controlled Legislature — the state Senate and Assembly — would have to pass a bill decriminalizing marijuana before Murphy could sign it into law.

NJ Advance Media reported Monday that state leaders have been privately discussing such a measure.

Murphy campaigned on making marijuana legal for people 21 and older in the state and preferred to do so by having the Legislature pass a bill.

But state leaders have had trouble securing enough votes. And last week, top lawmakers announced they would drop their latest effort to pass the measure.

Instead, they said, they were moving forward with a plan to place a question on the November 2020 ballot asking voters to decide whether to make the drug legal here.

Polls show a majority of New Jerseyans support legalizing pot.

“Although I remain disappointed in the Legislature’s inability to legislatively legalize adult-use marijuana, I am optimistic that the people of New Jersey, who overwhelmingly support legalization, will vote to do so," Murphy said in his statement Tuesday. "And, when they do, we will take a critical and long overdue step for real criminal justice reform.”

FBI data shows police in New Jersey arrest more people for marijuana possession than every state except Texas and New York. And black people are arrested at a rate three times higher than white people, although people of both races use marijuana at similar rates.

One obstacle may be state Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, who has also been skeptical about decriminalizing weed without legalizing it.

Sweeney told NJ Advance Media on Tuesday that he remains “open to looking at it” and discussing the idea with fellow lawmakers.

“I don’t know what it looks like,” he said. “I’ve got to understand how it’s gonna look.“

”My largest concern is that we just make the black market that much stronger,” Sweeney added. “But I’m open to doing something because it’s gonna be a year before we get this done. We’ve got to figure something out.”

A pair of Republican state senators, Declan O’Scanlon of Monmouth County and Robert Singer of Ocean County, released statements Tuesday saying they also support decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana.

“Reasonable people can agree that individuals in possession of small amounts of marijuana shouldn’t face arrests and a lifetime of compromised opportunity and productivity," O’Scanlon said. “Such harsh, disproportionate penalties don’t just hurt individuals, they cost our entire society in lost productivity and potential.”

Singer stressed he’s still against legalization but said arresting people for pot possession is “a failed strategy that has ruined lives, filled our prisons, and bogged down our courts.”

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

Amanda Hoover can be reached at ahoover@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @amandahoovernj. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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