HIGH AND DRY

New Jersey Cancels Weed Legalization Vote

After proponents realized they didn’t yet have enough votes in the Senate.

Top Democratic lawmakers in New Jersey have canceled a vote on legalizing marijuana in the state that was originally planned for Monday, after supporters realized that they do not yet have enough votes in the state Senate to pass the bill. NJ.com reports that proponents of the bill, including Gov. Phil Murphy, would have needed 21 votes to pass the bill. But even after a weekend of wheedling colleagues, only 17 or 18 pledged to back it; others worried about the potential public health and safety consequences. The state assembly, New Jersey’s other legislative body, reportedly has the 41 votes it needs to pass the bill. And while the cancelation is a blow for Murphy and progressive Democrats, lawmakers have vowed to keep pushing to pass the bill. “We’ll be back at this,” state Senate President Stephen Sweeney told reporters after the vote was cut off. “Anybody who thinks this is dead is wrong.”

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