Murphy to meet with top Democrats about legalizing weed in N.J. as his deadline looms

Original Story First Appeared on NJ.com- Click to Read

Thursday could be an important day in the seemingly never-ending saga to legalize marijuana in New Jersey.

Eyeing a possible vote by the end of next month, the Garden State’s top three elected state officials are scheduled to sit down and discuss their latest push to gather enough support in the state Legislature to pass a bill that would legalize weed here.

Gov. Phil Murphy confirmed Wednesday night during his radio show he’ll meet with his fellow Democrats who lead the Legislature — state Senate President Stephen Sweeney and state Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin — and pot will be a topic.

The meeting comes a few weeks after Sweeney, D-Gloucester, and Coughlin, D-Middlesex, canceled a planned vote on the bill when it became clear it would not have enough votes to pass the Senate.

Leaders have now been considering holding the vote in May — that is, if they can muster the 21 votes that are needed for the Senate to approve the measure, which would legalize recreational weed for people 21 and older in New Jersey.

Murphy was asked Wednesday during his regular call-in radio show what the chances were of the bill passing by the end of May.

He declined to put odds on it. But Murphy said he’s “cautiously optimistic.”

“We came very close,” he said during “Ask Governor Murphy,” which was broadcast on public radio stations. “We came within a vote or two. I hope we can print this sooner than later.”

A legislative source confirmed Thursday’s meeting to NJ Advance Media but said a time was not certain.

Depending on whom you talk to, leaders have secured anywhere from 18 to 20 votes in the Senate, according to sources.

One issue casting a cloud over the gathering: The Legislature has packaged the bill with two other measures — one that would greatly expand the state’s medical marijuana program and another that would expunge the records of thousands of people with pot convictions in the state. The hope is to garner more support for the legalization bill if all three are put up for a vote at the same time.

But Murphy has said if lawmakers don’t pass the measures by the end of May, he will use his executive authority to expand the medical weed program because patients have waited too long.

Sources have told NJ Advance Media that lawmakers are worried that gives some legislators reason not to vote for legal pot because medical marijuana will be expanded either way.

But Murphy defended his plans Wednesday, saying he’d have “no choice” because the “demand to open (the program) up further is overwhelming.”

“Next month is a reasonable amount of time,” the governor said.

“There’s too much at stake here,” he added. “We must continue to open it up.”

Brent Johnson may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01.