New Jersey could vote to legalize recreational cannabis on March 25

In New Jersey, Governor Phil Murphy, Senate President Stephen Sweeney, and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin—all three Democrats—had spoken out in favor of legalizing recreational cannabis. However, the three men did not necessarily agree on the specifics of this legalization. They have finally reached an agreement on the details of the final bill, which could be voted on the 25th. If approved, New Jersey would become the 12th U.S. state to legalize recreational cannabis.

An agreement that was by no means a foregone conclusion

This final agreement is the result of a lengthy debate between Democratic leaders in the legislature and the governor’s administration over the terms of cannabis taxation and regulation. A bill was under review since last November to the legislature, but it called for a tax of only 12%. However, the governor had announced that he would oppose any tax lower than 25%. Lawmakers and the governor ultimately agreed on a tax based on weight rather than on the selling price.

Another point of disagreement concerned the establishment of an independent commission to oversee both the new industry and the existing medical cannabis industry. On this point, the presidents of the Senate and the Assembly had to reach a compromise to secure the governor’s support. They therefore granted him the authority to appoint three of the commission’s five members, subject to Senate approval.

Legalization by the end of March?

This last-minute agreement leaves lawmakers little time to vote on the bill. The bill must be approved by both chambers before it reaches the governor’s desk. As a local newspaper reports : In April, many lawmakers are on vacation, and May is often taken up by state budget negotiations. Ideally, therefore, the vote should take place sometime in March, well into the month. “The 25th is the day we’ll do it,» said Stephen Sweeney.

If the vote does not take place in March, we will have to wait many more months—or even until the next legislative session in November. On the other hand, this would give supporters of the proposal more time to win over undecided voters. According to the local newspaper, the proposal still needs 6 more votes out of the 21 required in the Senate and 3 more votes out of the 41 required in the Assembly to secure legalization. These votes must be secured within two weeks for legalization to take effect by the end of March. Stay tuned for updates.