The lawmakers will unveil their bill during an 11 a.m. press conference at the Statehouse, according to a press release issued Wednesday afternoon. | AP Photo Rice, Singer to introduce bipartisan marijuana decriminalization bill

Democratic state Sen. Ronald Rice and Republican Sen. Robert Singer plan to introduce a bipartisan bill on Thursday to decriminalize recreational marijuana, a move that could complicate Gov. Phil Murphy's campaign promise to legalize recreational pot.

The lawmakers will unveil their bill during an 11 a.m. press conference at the Statehouse, according to a press release issued Wednesday afternoon. The press conference will include representatives from New Jersey Responsible Approaches to Marijuana Policy, according to the release.


Rice declined to offer specifics on the bill until it is unveiled.

Murphy, a Democrat who took office last month, campaigned on a platform of legalizing recreational marijuana for social justice reform reasons, often citing statistics about the disparity between whites and non-whites in terms of drug arrests, as well as the potential for $300 million in state tax revenue.

In a recent InsiderNJ op-ed, Rice, an Essex County Democrat who chairs the Legislative Black Caucus, wrote that legalization “is not the answer to the injustice, disparity issues and the discriminatory arrests of people of color.”

“We can begin the process of righting the wrong by passing legislation that will decriminalize marijuana use and possession, releasing people from jails and prisons who are incarcerated for use and possession of marijuana, and by expunging their records,” he wrote.

It’s possible Democrats on the fence about legalization could be more likely to support decriminalization as a first step toward legalization.

Senate President Steve Sweeney has been an ardent supporter of legalization.

The nine other states that have legalized recreational marijuana, as well as the District of Columbia, moved to decriminalize the drug before legalizing it.

Murphy has said in the past that he doesn’t think decriminalization alone is enough.

"The problem I have with that is the drug industry stays underground, run by the same people, and it's unregulated. ... Put aside the fact that you don't earn the tax revenue. It remains the Wild West," he said during a gubernatorial debate in October.