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Nearly a decade after New Jersey first legalized medical marijuana, the state Senate is expected to cast the final vote on a bill Thursday that would expand access by increasing the number of growers, permitting home delivery, and phasing out an unpopular sales tax.

But the long-awaited measure may hit a wall once it reaches Gov. Phil Murphy’s desk, according to four sources with knowledge of the issue who were not authorized to discuss the matter.

The Democratic governor objects to some parts of the legislation and may partially veto it to force changes, the sources said.

Murphy objects to creating an independent commission to oversee the medicinal marijuana program, taking control away from the state Health Department, the sources told NJ Advance Media.

The governor initially agreed to the commission when a related bill to legalize recreational marijuana in New Jersey was still on the table, but state Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, abandoned that effort about two weeks ago.

Murphy is also uncomfortable with the bill because it sets a limit of 23 licenses to cultivate the crop, two of the sources said.

The governor had said he planned use his own authority to expand medical marijuana in the state. On Wednesday, he declined to say whether he would still pursue that route or simply sign this bill, using a pot pun in the process.

“We don’t comment on legislation that’s being baked, so to speak, in this case,” the governor told reporters during an unrelated event in Trenton.

But Murphy did stress that expansion is needed.

“The supply-demand curve is being artificially held back, and the access to the system denied, which we cannot any longer allow to happen,” he said.

There are just six grower/dispensaries in New Jersey serving 47,000 patients, who have said they contend with supply shortages and long commutes. The Health Department in December picked six other companies to join the original six, although their applications are still under review.

State Sen. Joseph Vitale, D-Middlesex, one of the prime sponsors of the medical expansion bill, said he was aware of the governor’s reservations and said hopes the governor can put them aside for the good of patients.

“Any further delay would mean patients are still at a disadvantage. We need to sign this as soon as possible,” Vitale said.

Elements of the “Jake Honig Compassionate Use Medical Cannabis Act” (S10) include:

Phasing out the state sales tax of 6.625 percent on cannabis sales on Jan. 1, 2025;

Setting a goal of awarding 15 percent of licenses to minority owners and 15 percent issued to women, disabled people and veterans;

Permitting home delivery;

Allowing patients to seek physician approval for the program annual instead of four times a year.

The bill is named for a 7-year-old boy from Howell who died from a rare brain cancer and used cannabis to manage his pain.

The Assembly passed the bill on May 23.

The 40-member state Senate is also expected Thursday to pass legislation that would expand and improve the process of expunging non-violent crimes in New Jersey, including marijuana possession and some distribution arrests.

The debate over the expungement bill had been contentious one, and was part of the reason the recreational marijuana bill was never brought to a vote. But lawmakers recently reached a consensus after Sweeney said he favored letting voters to decide in 2020 whether marijuana should be legalized.

The legislation (S3205) would reduce the waiting period to apply for an expungement from six years to five years and allow people with old marijuana convictions to get expedited expungements. People who were convicted of select marijuana crimes before the bill takes effect could file immediately, while those convicted after the bill takes effect would have to wait 18 months, the bill said.

The state Judiciary also would be required to set up an electronic filing system for expungements, making the process easier for people trying to clear their records.

The Assembly is expected to vote on the expungement bill in June.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Payton Guion contributed to this report.

Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio.

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

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