Medical Cannabis Advocates Condemn Murphy's Silence on NJ Home Grow

Governor Declines to Signal Support or Opposition

Governor Murphy hasn't issued a public statement on A3707 despite repeated requests from patient advocacy organizations. The bill, introduced in March 2026 by Assemblymember Annette Quijano (D-Union), cleared the Assembly Health Committee in June but has stalled in the Appropriations Committee since July. Murphy's office hasn't responded to inquiries from patient groups regarding whether the governor would sign or veto the measure if it reached his desk.

Under New Jersey's legislative calendar, A3707 must pass both chambers and receive gubernatorial action before the two-year session expires on January 13, 2027. Bills that fail to advance by that date die. They must be reintroduced in the next session.

Medical Patients Cite Access Barriers Under Current Regime

New Jersey's 141,000 registered medical cannabis patients currently face average dispensary prices of $420 per ounce, according to September 2026 data from the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission. Patient advocates argue that home cultivation would reduce costs for individuals with chronic conditions who require daily cannabis use, and the state's medical program permits possession of up to three ounces per month but prohibits any form of home cultivation.

Chris Goldstein, a longtime New Jersey cannabis activist, told reporters that Murphy's silence amounts to a de facto veto. The governor has publicly supported adult-use legalization. But he's never addressed medical home grow in a press conference or policy statement, Goldstein noted.

A3707 Would Limit Cultivation to Enclosed Spaces

Assembly Bill 3707 restricts home cultivation to six mature plants and six immature plants per registered patient in a locked, enclosed area not visible from public view. The bill imposes civil penalties of $500 to $1,000 for violations of the plant-count limit and $2,000 to $5,000 for cultivation in an unsecured location. Patients would be required to notify local law enforcement within 10 days of beginning cultivation.

The measure doesn't extend cultivation rights to adult-use consumers. New Jersey legalized recreational cannabis in 2021 via constitutional amendment, but the enabling statute, N.J.S.A. 24:6I-31, explicitly prohibits home grow for non-medical users. A3707 would amend the medical statute, N.J.S.A. 24:6I-7, to carve out a patient exception.

Legislative Sponsors Point to Eighteen-State Precedent

Eighteen states with medical cannabis programs currently permit home cultivation, including neighboring Pennsylvania and Vermont. Assemblymember Quijano cited those states in her March 2026 sponsor statement, arguing that New Jersey's prohibition is an outlier. Vermont permits two mature plants per adult-use consumer and nine plants per medical patient, while Pennsylvania allows medical patients to grow up to six plants if they live more than 25 miles from a dispensary.

New Jersey's Cannabis Regulatory Commission hasn't taken a formal position on A3707. Executive Director Jeff Brown told the Assembly Health Committee in June that the agency hadn't modeled the fiscal or regulatory impact of patient cultivation.

Fiscal Note Estimates Minimal Revenue Loss

The Office of Legislative Services projected a revenue reduction of $1.2 million to $3.8 million annually from reduced dispensary sales if A3707 becomes law. That estimate assumes 5 to 15 percent of registered patients would opt to grow at home. New Jersey collected $18.6 million in medical cannabis sales tax in fiscal year 2026, according to the Department of the Treasury. Medical sales are subject to the standard 6.625 percent sales tax but exempt from the adult-use cannabis excise tax.

Enforcement costs weren't quantified. The fiscal note didn't estimate what local police departments would spend verifying cultivation notifications.

Advocacy Groups Threaten Primary Challenges

The New Jersey chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws announced on September 19, 2026, that it would endorse primary challengers to Democratic legislators who fail to advance A3707 before session end. The group represents approximately 4,200 dues-paying members in the state. NORML-NJ hasn't previously engaged in electoral politics beyond voter-registration drives.

Murphy, a second-term Democrat, is term-limited and can't seek reelection in 2029. His silence on A3707 has drawn criticism from progressive Democrats who argue that medical access should be a baseline priority independent of fiscal considerations. For full background on this story, see the CannIntel topic hub on New Jersey home grow.

What Happens Next

The Assembly Appropriations Committee must post A3707 for a vote by October 15, 2026, to preserve a realistic path to passage before January. If the bill clears Appropriations, it would require a floor vote in both the Assembly and Senate, followed by gubernatorial action within 45 days. Murphy has used the conditional veto power on cannabis-related bills twice since 2021, most recently on a 2025 measure to expand dispensary licenses in underserved municipalities.

Patient advocates plan a rally at the Statehouse in Trenton on October 1, 2026, to demand a floor vote. The event is co-sponsored by the Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey and the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey.