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New Jersey remains one of 24 states that allow recreational use, and one of the few states where recreational marijuana is legal, yet residents are still barred from growing their own cannabis at home. Most candidates running to replace Gov. Phil Murphy want to change that.
Among the six Democrats seeking their party’s nomination, four support home cultivation for both medical and recreational use, while one backs it for medical patients only. On the Republican side, two candidates favor home grow exclusively for medical users, while two others support it for recreational use as well.
Murphy, a Democrat, is not eligible to seek a third term. Voters will head to the polls on June 10 to decide which candidates will represent each party in the November general election.
Since legal cannabis sales began a few years back, dispensaries have multiplied across the state, yet New Jersey remains one of the most expensive places to buy marijuana. Efforts to legalize home cultivation for medical patients have repeatedly stalled in the state Legislature, with top Democratic lawmakers opposing it.
Marijuana activist Chris Goldstein, an advocate for personal cannabis cultivation, said the next governor will have significant influence over the state’s cannabis industry.
Three candidates in the race support allowing only medical patients to grow cannabis at home: former state Sen. Steve Sweeney on the Democratic side and Republicans Mario Kranjac, a former mayor of Englewood Cliffs, and Jack Ciattarelli, a former assemblyman. Sweeney recently stated that permitting medical cannabis users to cultivate their own plants would help keep costs affordable.
Four Democrats—Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, Rep. Mikie Sherrill, and teachers union chief Sean Spiller—support home grow for both recreational and medical users. Baraka has compared home cannabis cultivation to beer brewing.
Fulop reaffirmed his long-standing support for home grow, citing the nearly dozen dispensaries that have already opened in Jersey City.On the Republican side, former state Sen. Ed Durr’s campaign spokesperson told New Jersey Monitor, Steve Kush, characterized Durr’s stance as, “Grow it if you’re growing it for yourself. I don’t want you selling it on the street.” With candidates divided on home cultivation, the next governor will play a key role in determining whether New Jerseyans will finally be allowed to grow their own cannabis.
Staff
The New Jersey Digest is a new jersey magazine that has chronicled daily life in the Garden State for over 10 years.
“}]] New Jersey remains one of 24 states that allow recreational use, and one of the few states where recreational marijuana is legal, yet residents are still barred from growing their own cannabis at home. Most candidates running to replace Gov. Phil Murphy want to change that. Among the six Democrats seeking their party’s nomination, four Read More
