New Jersey lawmakers planning cannabis question for 2020 ballot

(Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

New Jersey legislative leaders say they’ll vote in the coming weeks on a proposed constitutional amendment to legalize recreational marijuana.

Democratic Senate President Steve Sweeney and Judiciary Committee chairman Nicholas Scutari unveiled the proposed ballot question on Monday.

They plan for the question to be on the ballot in 2020.

Eleven states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational cannabis.

Lawmakers and Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy tried earlier this year to legalize cannabis through legislation, but Sweeney said the bill failed to get enough support among senators.

Murphy said in a statement he’s disappointed the legislation failed, but says voters “will put us on the right side of history” by approving the amendment.

Democratic Speaker Craig Coughlin said through a spokesman the Assembly will also vote on the proposal.

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