The New Jersey Department of Health announced a plan on Monday to issue up to 108 more licenses for growers, manufacturers and retailers to participate in the state’s medical marijuana program.

“Due to the growing patient population served by the Medicinal Marijuana Program over the course of 2018 and 2019, and the projected future expansion outlined in the Department’s Biennial Report, the Department has determined that additional ATCs (Alternative Treatment Centers) are necessary to meet the needs of the population of qualified patients,” reads the announcement.

The Health Department also plans to issue 38 more licenses for cannabis Alternative Treatment Centers in the northern and central regions of the state and up to 32 for the southern region.

New Jersey lawmakers could vote as early as Thursday on a major medical marijuana expansion bill. Senate Bill 10 advanced out of a pair of committees on Monday, but only after undergoing multiple amendments. The amended version is not yet publicly available, but details are forthcoming. Still, the bill’s core framework remains the same, aiming to expand patient access to caregivers and licensed medical cannabis products.

In terms of momentum, the marijuana industry has been practically unstoppable in recent years. Once considered a taboo topic that lawmakers regularly swept under the rug, cannabis has now become a mainstream topic in the United States, as evidenced by the fact that 2 out of 3 Americans support broad-based legalization, according to Gallup.

Over a year after reform advocates first began predicting swift legislative victory, the recreational use of cannabis remains illegal in New Jersey. When Governor Murphy and Senate President Sweeney agreed on a $42 per ounce flat tax in February, legalization supporters once again hoped for quick adoption of New Jersey Assembly Bill 4497 (“A4497”). Once again, the much-publicized March 25th vote was called off due to lack of support. Now legislators have a limited window to act before the state budget deadline on July 1st.

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.