Democratic New Jersey lawmakers spent part of Tuesday going over the fine points of a bill that their leaders say is the almost-final, soon-to-pass vehicle for allowing anyone 21 and older to buy and consume marijuana. After missing earlier, informal deadlines for mustering enough votes to pass a bill that Gov. Phil Murphy would sign, Senate President Stephen Sweeney maintained that his Oct. 29 deadline remains within sight.
But the two-hour session among Democratic senators was fractious by many accounts, and a bill would not pass if five or more of the 25 Democratic senators dissent and no Republican votes in favor. And there's no guarantee Murphy would sign a bill with a tax rate he deems too low, or that doesn't go far enough in redressing racial inequities in previous convictions for marijuana crimes.
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