Gov. Phil Murphy and New Jersey lawmakers finally have a date in mind for passing what could be the biggest legislation in years: marijuana legalization. And they want to get it done by Halloween.

But there is one potential stumbling block: a tax. Lawmakers are talking about a pretty hefty tax that they want to impose on the drug once it becomes available commercially. Murphy and lawmakers say they're looking at Oct 29 as the day the state Legislature should pass a bill legalizing marijuana in New Jersey. It's not clear if the governor would actually sign it that day, or right afterward.

Murphy was asked about marijuana legalization during a recent Facebook live interview, and he told the audience that he's looking at signing something "sooner than later." You can watch him speak about it below. "We've had good exchanges with both the legislative leadership sponsors and, most importantly, the teams in the trenches crafting this," Murphy said. "I think it's sooner than later."

He also said that, based the tenor of the discussions and the give-and-take between the Murphy administration and lawmakers, Oct. 29 "feels about right." Murphy said there will be several pieces to the legislation, including expansion of the medical marijuana program. The "biggest mountain to climb," he said, will be legalizing the drug for recreational use.

What could stand in the way is that Democratic leaders in the state Legislature are standing by a 12 percent tax on recreational marijuana. The tax is controversial, and some legislative debate over it could delay the passage date.

Senate President Stephen Sweeney said he'll go no higher than a 12 percent on recreational marijuana, endorsing the rate pushed by state Sen. Nicholas Scutari, D-Middlesex, Somerset and Union.

Scutari, however, told NJBIZ and other reporters that lawmakers are pushing for tax rates anywhere from 10 percent to 25 percent over a four-year period. Pending legislation on legalization has set the rate at 12 percent. Sen. Joe Vitale, D-Union, said debates over what agency should regulate marijuana use and the tax rate could easily delay the vote past Oct. 29, according to the report. But top lawmakers say they have their eyes set on Oct. 29.