NJ marijuana legalization: Legal weed set for hearing, possible vote on Monday

Mike Davis | Asbury Park Press

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TRENTON — State lawmakers on Monday are scheduled to take the next steps in the process toward New Jersey marijuana legalization.

Bills to legalize marijuana in New Jersey, greatly expand the state's medical marijuana program and lay out a process for expunging criminal records for certain marijuana crimes are scheduled for a joint hearing before the Senate and Assembly budget committees.

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The hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. in the Statehouse Annex.

If the bills are approved by the committees, New Jersey will be one step closer to authorizing legal weed by year's end. The next steps would be floor votes in the Senate and Assembly. The initiative has the backing of Gov. Phil Murphy.

The marijuana bills up for a discussion and vote by the committees include:

S2703, which would legalize marijuana for recreational purposes, impose a 12 percent tax and allow municipalities to levy their own taxes on legal weed sales of up to 2 percent;

which would legalize marijuana for recreational purposes, impose a 12 percent tax and allow municipalities to levy their own taxes on legal weed sales of up to 2 percent; S10 , which would increase the monthly medical marijuana cap to 3 ounces per patient, allow adults to purchase edible forms of cannabis and allow patients to visit any medical marijuana dispensary;

, which would increase the monthly medical marijuana cap to 3 ounces per patient, allow adults to purchase edible forms of cannabis and allow patients to visit any medical marijuana dispensary; S2426, which requires the Department of Health to issue licenses for 34 new medical marijuana dispensaries (and six new medical marijuana cultivation facilities) within 90 days;

which requires the Department of Health to issue licenses for 34 new medical marijuana dispensaries (and six new medical marijuana cultivation facilities) within 90 days; S3205, a bill that would "revise certain procedures for expungement of records of conviction." Details are not available because the bill has not been introduced yet.

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Murphy campaigned last year on a platform that included legal weed. What began as a "first 100 days" promise quickly turned into a vow to legalize marijuana before year's end.

That's led to a series of missed "deadlines" set by legislative leaders as they try to whip votes in the Senate and the Assembly.

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"There's an entire process that has to occur to get this right. It's realistic that by the end of the year, if the racial and social justice pieces are done, the Legislature will have the votes," said New Jersey United for Marijuana Reform co-founder Bill Caruso in an interview last week.

Despite scheduling committee hearings, it's still not clear if either chamber has enough votes to bring legal weed to New Jersey.

What’s the status of marijuana legalization and what will it mean for your community? Join our Facebook group, Let's Talk About Marijuana at fb.com/groups/WeedNJ to discuss what's going on in your town, the world of cannabis and with the social justice issues at the center of it all.

Mike Davis; @byMikeDavis: 732-643-4223; mdavis@gannettnj.com