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By Payton Guion | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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Shortly after Gov. Phil Murphy was elected, lawmakers said they wanted to get weed legalized in his first 100 days.

That deadline, at the end of April, came and went with little action.

Some lawmakers and advocates then set their sights on getting recreational marijuana passed by the end of June, when legislators traditionally take a summer break. It’s now looking like that deadline also will come and go.

As June 30 rapidly approaches, with little movement, it's becoming increasingly likely that legal weed will have to wait until later this year. Here's where things stand now.

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Andre Malok

The big, new legalization bill is dead

So far this year, two primary marijuana ideas have dominated discourse in New Jersey. The first is an expansion of the state's medical marijuana program, which Murphy called for earlier this year in an executive order. The other is legalizing the possession and personal use of small amounts of marijuana for adults at least 21 years old, along with a regulated commercial market.

Earlier this month, state Sen. Nicholas Scutari, a Union County Democrat who has been leading the push for legal weed, introduced a plan that tried to do both, upsetting lawmakers and advocates alike. It now appears that Scutari's plan is a non-starter.

Sen. Joseph Vitale, D-Middlesex, and three others familiar with efforts to push marijuana legalization through the Legislature said Scutari's merged bill was not moving forward, as reported exclusively by NJ Cannabis Insider.

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Andre Malok | NJ Advance Media

But there's another legal weed bill in the mix

The same day he dropped the merged bill that's now dead, Scutari also introduced a separate legal weed bill. It called for up to 218 dispensaries, 98 of which would be medical dispensaries. It also allowed consumption lounges, places where people could use the weed they just bought.



This plan would also allow expungements for people with low-level marijuana crimes and aims to help people in areas disproportionately affected by marijuana arrests.

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Andre Malok | NJ Advance Media

That one will probably have to wait

While Scutari's separate recreational marijuana bill has gotten a more favorable response than the combined bill, advocates and lawmakers say it leaves out a lot of what they were hoping to see.



"Simply put: This bill falls short of what New Jersey needs. We look forward to working with New Jersey's leaders to create a better one," New Jersey United for Marijuana Reform said in a statement shortly after the bill was introduced.



Lawmakers are still working on making changes to the bill, but it's unlikely that enough could get done before the June 30 budget deadline. Those changes could include easier expungements and more opportunities in the cannabis industry for women and minorities.



Assemblyman Jamel Holley, D-Union, has been working on the recreational bill in his chamber and said he thinks this bill is more likely to get done later this year.

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Medical marijuana expansion could still happen before June 30

But even if lawmakers can't get recreational marijuana across the finish line this month, a plan to expand Jersey's medical marijuana program could still get through.

Vitale introduced a bill to that end last month, and he said he continues to work with Senate leadership on the language and contents of his plan. Medical expansion enjoys strong support in the Legislature, unlike full legalization, which is more controversial.

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Andre Malok | NJ Advance Media

But it may not be necessary

Even if lawmakers fail to pass a medical marijuana bill, the program could still be expanded.

Rules proposed by the Health Department on Monday would allow the department to issue new licenses to separate cannabis businesses, as reported exclusively in NJ Cannabis Insider. The rules could go into effect as early as late August if adopted.



Donna Leusner, a Health Department spokeswoman, said the department "is monitoring legislation closely" and that the department will be moving forward with the expansion whether by legislation or by approval of the proposed rules.



The department's rules say the state could issue separate licenses for cultivation, processing and selling medical marijuana, which isn't currently allowed. The six medical marijuana dispensaries in the state are required to grow, process and sell in-house.

The Health Department hasn't set a cap on the number of licenses it could issue, with Leusner saying that would come once the department formally asks for applications.

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Andre Malok | NJ Advance Media

If not now, when?

So if legal weed isn't approved by the end of the month, when could lawmakers act on it?

Most likely later this summer or in the fall. Scutari has said that he'd like to get it done by June 30, but if it has to wait until later this year, he's not too worried about it.

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Andre Malok | NJ Advance Media

Why did June 30 matter anyway?

June 30 has been seen as an almost official deadline for legal weed, but that date has nothing to do with marijuana. It's actually the deadline for the state to pass its budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

In years when the budget is wrapped up by June 30, lawmakers typically take a break in July. Other years, like last year, the budget negotiations go past June 30, shutting down the government. New Jersey could be on the verge of another shutdown, but marijuana hasn't been seen as one of the sticking points.

If the end of the month passes with a budget and no action on legalization, it's not the end of the road. Scutari has said he'd be fully ready to restart the legal weed debate later this summer.

If that happens, expect marijuana to be one of the top issues being considered.

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There is still a tiny chance legal weed passes

However unlikely it seems now, the door hasn't slammed shut on recreational marijuana by the end of the month. Scutari is working with Holley and Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, to hash out something in the coming days.



"(Scutari's) open to everything. He's willing and I'm willing to negotiate to get to 21 votes on both" the legalization and medicinal marijuana expansion bills, Sweeney said.



"We're running out of time, but I would hope we can" get this done by June 30. "But who knows at this point?"

But remember if a bill does pass, it will likely take more than a year before a recreational industry could get up and running.

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Brent Johnson, Susan K. Livio and Justin Zaremba contributed to this story.

Payton Guion may be reached at PGuion@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @PaytonGuion. Find NJ.com on Facebook.