New Jersey may be on its way to legalizing recreational marijuana as Gov. Philip D. Murphy and Democratic legislative leaders in New Jersey have reached an agreement that could place the state on a path to legalizing the drug.
The agreement establishes how marijuana would be taxed and sets parameters on a committee to regulate the drug.
According to the governor, the legislation could get passed.
“We’re still trying to machine this to get it over the goal line, but I think we’re all working really hard to get this done,” Mr. Murphy told reporters. “We’ve said all along that this is not a light lift.”
“The most important aspect of it is we don’t necessarily have all the votes lined up yet,” said Nicholas Scutari, a state senator from northern New Jersey.
Craig Coughlin, the speaker of the Assembly, said, “This is a seismic shift in public policy and the creation of a new industry. Those are both demanding items, and so we want to make sure we get it right and we want to make sure that we have a bill in place that people can support.”
The agreement calls for taxing marijuana by weight, at $42 an ounce instead of a set percentage. Stephen M. Sweeney, the senate president wanted a 12 percent tax, while Mr. Murphy wanted a tax closer to 25 percent.
The issue of how to tax the drug had been the biggest hurdle between Mr. Murphy and the legislature.