April 20 has long been a national marijuana "holiday" for enthusiasts and activists. But 4/20 has taken on special meaning in New Jersey this year, as it could be the last one while the drug is illegal in the Garden State. 

Here's everything you need to know about 4/20, New Jersey marijuana legalization and the stranger-than-fiction story behind why three numbers became synonymous with weed.

As New Jersey’s leaders aim to pass a bill by the end of next month to legalize marijuana in the state, they’re grappling with a damned-if-they-do, damned-if-they-don’t dilemma that’s threatening their efforts.

After more than a year of debate and wrangling, Gov. Phil Murphy and his fellow top Democrats remain a few votes short of the number they need to pass the measure — a cornerstone of Murphy’s agenda — in the state Legislature.

New Jersey has halted training state police dogs to sniff out pot.

Attorney General Gurbir Grewal told lawmakers Wednesday that a pending proposal to legalize recreational marijuana led police to stop training them to detect the odour of burnt cannabis.

He says dogs already trained to detect the scent could be used in other settings where marijuana would be prohibited, such as jails and schools. He added that it’s possible to train the dogs to detect marijuana in the future if needed, but it’s impossible to “un-train” dogs who already recognize the odour.

Grewal spoke at an Assembly budget hearing after a lawmaker asked how police dogs would be affected if recreational weed becomes legal.

New Jersey lawmakers canceled a planned vote on the legalization of marijuana on Monday, saying the lack of a clear majority to pass the measure will delay the decision until later this year. Both the state Senate and Assembly had scheduled votes on the bill, which would legalize the possession of up to one ounce of cannabis and create a framework to regulate and tax commercial sales.

New Jersey on Monday could finally move just one step away from legalizing marijuana.

Or we may end up with months more of waiting.

After a year and a half of debate and delays, both houses of the state Legislature are scheduled to vote on an historic but controversial bill that would legalize, tax, and regulate recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older in the Garden State.

Lawmakers have approved a pair of bills amending the state’s medical cannabis program to expand patients’ access to the plant and to provide additional legal protections.

New Jersey has finally taken a step forward in the long, arduous journey to legalizing recreational cannabis by advancing a new piece of legislation. The proceedings were “testy” and included some “back-room wrangling,” according to the Associated Press. But questions remain if the measure will, ultimately, pass and reach Gov. Phil Murphy’s desk.

New Jersey has finally taken a step forward in the long, arduous journey to legalizing recreational marijuana by advancing a new piece of legislation. The proceedings were “testy” and included some “back-room wrangling,” according to the Associated Press. But questions remain if the measure will ultimately pass and reach Gov. Phil Murphy’s desk.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced on Tuesday that he had reached an agreement with legislative leaders to legalize recreational marijuana for adults. Lawmakers expect to vote on the deal on March 25 and Murphy could sign the legalization bill later that week. Murphy said in a press release that after nearly a year of negotiation, he and lawmakers including Senate President Steve Sweeney, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, Senator Nicholas Scutari, and Assemblywoman Annette Quijano had agreed on a regulatory and tax structure for an adult-use cannabis industry.

Since Gov. Phil Murphy took office more than a year ago, he’s made expanding access to medical marijuana a priority. But his administration’s latest efforts to grow the program could be in for a court battle that could last months, or longer.

In December, the state Department of Health announced the six companies it had selected to open medical marijuana dispensaries in the state, furthering an expansion of the state’s constrained medical marijuana program that had been started by Murphy earlier in 2018.