The governor of New Jersey says he’s open to giving adults the right to cultivate marijuana for personal use. The state is still in the process of implementing legalization following voter approval of the reform last November, and home cultivation is not currently permitted under the conforming legislation that Gov. Phil Murphy (D) signed earlier this year. But Murphy said in an interview with News 12 that he’s “not sure there’s a good answer” as to why the state still criminalizes recreational consumers or medical cannabis patients who grow their own and that he’s “open-minded to considering adjusting” the policy. The remarks were first noted by Heady NJ. “That’s not to say that I think we’re not going to have a really good, smart regime” under the program as it’s already being implemented, he added. Regulators are “putting a world-class industry together. I’m really impressed by it.” “Again, equity is right at the center of it,” the governor said in the interview, which was broadcast on Friday. “But there was a lot of legitimate interest in allowing, in some form or fashion, home grow. And I would just say I’d be open minded to that discussion.” There are home grow bills for both medical and recreational cannabis that have been introduced in the legislature, but they haven’t advanced.
Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 10/27/2021 11:06:00