NJ lawmakers: Cannabis legalization vote Oct. 29 unlikely

<p>New Jersey lawmaker&rsquo;s plans to vote on legalizing recreational marijuana next week appears to be unlikely to happen, according to state legislative leaders.</p>

News 12 Staff

Oct 22, 2018, 11:15 PM

Updated 2,241 days ago

Share:

New Jersey lawmaker’s plans to vote on legalizing recreational marijuana next week appears to be unlikely to happen, according to state legislative leaders.
Democratic Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin said Monday at an unrelated news conference in the State House that he does not anticipate a vote on Oct. 29.
Senate President Steve Sweeney says he thinks the legislation would come for a vote "this year," but didn't specify when.
Coughlin described the measure as a "seismic shift in public policy and the creation of a new industry." He says they want to "get it right."
Both leaders and Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy say they back such legalization but are debating details mostly behind closed doors.
Murphy made legalization of recreational marijuana a large part of his campaign for governor.
Although legalization has not yet happened, the governor did expand on New Jersey’s medical marijuana program.
The Murphy administration said Monday that the program has doubled to 34,000 patients since he took office. 
The Health Department said that the majority of the 17,000 new patients have one of five medical conditions Murphy made eligible for coverage in March: anxiety, migraines, Tourette's syndrome and two types of chronic pain.
The state is also considering doubling medical cannabis treatment centers to 12.
Nine states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational marijuana. Recreational cannabis was also recently legalized in Canada. 
The Associated Press wire services contributed to this report.