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A new proposal in New Jersey’s ongoing debate over legal marijuana popped up this week: a plan to have the state’s voters ultimately decide whether to legalize the drug in the Garden State.

But the state’s leaders say they’re not in favor — at least not yet — of taking that route.

That’s because Gov. Phil Murphy, state Senate President Stephen Sweeney, and state Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin are all sticking to long-delayed plans for the New Jersey Legislature to pass a bill that would make possessing recreational marijuana legal for people 21 and older.

Sweeney, D-Gloucester, said a voter referendum would be only a last resort if leaders can’t convince enough state lawmakers to support that measure.

“I don’t see a need to go there,” the Senate president told NJ Advance Media on Friday. “That’s the alternative. The first plan is to pass the bill.”

Coughlin, D-Middlesex, agreed.

“We are working through a piece of legislation and we’re looking to do it legislatively,” the Assembly speaker said Friday.

Their comments come a day after Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi, R-Bergen, said she’s authored a proposal that would legalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana in the state only if voters approve it in a ballot referendum.

Schepisi is against legalizing weed. So is state Sen. Ronald Rice, D-Essex, the lawmaker she’s spoken with about sponsoring the plan with her.

But Schepisi and Rice say a referendum would at least give voters a say and a chance to learn more about pot before making a decision.

“We should make sure the voters are educated on the pros and cons of recreational marijuana prior to putting it on the ballot, and we should not rush into a delicate process without first properly thinking it through," Rice, one of the Legislature’s most outspoken opponents of legal pot, said Friday.

A Monmouth University poll released last week showed 62 percent of New Jersey adults support legalizing marijuana.

Still, Murphy, Sweeney, and Coughlin — the three Democrats who lead the state government — are working to end a years-long stalemate on the issue by finalizing an agreement on a bill that would set up how to tax and regulate pot in the state. That would need only the approval of the Democratic-controlled Legislature and the Democratic governor, not voters.

Ten states and Washington, D.C. have legalized marijuana, mostly by referendum. Only Vermont has done it via legislation.

Whether New Jersey can become the second is far from certain. Murphy, Sweeney, and Coughlin are now tasked with lobbying lawmakers to support the plan so it passes both chambers of the Legislature — the Senate and Assembly — and head to the governor’s desk.

And sources say they are currently a number of votes short in each house, with both Democrats and Republicans expressing concern.

That means the next few weeks could decide whether marijuana finally set to become legal in New Jersey or if leaders will continue to struggle to make it happen.

Sources say the hope is to hold a vote by the end of March, though it could be pushed deeper into spring.

And if votes continue to be elusive?

A referendum has always been seen as a fallback. Supporters see the legislative route as being less unpredictable than relying on voters, even though polls show support is high among the public.

Waiting for a referendum could also further delay legalization, at a time when neighboring states are considering making pot legal.

Matthew Saidel, a spokesman for Murphy’s office, said Thursday that Murphy believes marijuana should be legalized by elected officials.

“He looks forward to continuing the productive discussions with the Legislature and building on the recent progress they have made together,” Saidel said.

But the referendum proposal could be attractive to lawmakers who are either against legalization or on the fence. Having voters decide could give them cover.

For example, Assemblyman Anthony M. Bucco, R-Morris, said he’s against the legislation but would consider supporting a referendum.

“I have mixed emotions about this whole thing,” Bucco said. “I support the social justice aspect. I support expanding medical marijuana. But the recreational aspect scares me.”

Sweeney, the Senate president, said he’s not worried about calls for a referendum giving undecided lawmakers more reason to avoid taking a public position.

State Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, D-Bergen, said she hopes it doesn’t come to that.

“Why does anybody need cover?” Weinberg asked. “We already know the public supports it.”

Under the referendum proposal, the Senate and Assembly would still have to pass the plan and Murphy would have to sign it within 70 days of the November election for it to get on the ballot. If not, it would have to wait for the 2020 election.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Matt Arco contributed to this report.

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

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