The NJ Homegrow Coalition is happy that most candidates running for Governor have voiced support for some form of home cultivation.
Five Democrats and four Republican candidates are on the record agreeing that Garden State residents should not face criminal charges for a few cannabis plants.
Possession of a single cannabis plant is a felony in New Jersey. Meanwhile, other state-legal cannabis laws allow homegrowing in New York, Maryland, and Ohio.
4 Democrats Running to be NJ Governor for Full Cannabis Homegrow
According to the NJ Monitor, Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ-11) of Essex said she supports small cannabis gardens with “common-sense regulations, safeguards, and limits.”
Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop is also fully in support of homegrow.
“Steve has been a longtime supporter of homegrow and was one of the first in the state to advocate for legalization,” Fulop 2025 campaign spokesperson Emily Potoma told Heady NJ.
“Under his leadership, Jersey City has developed the most extensive cannabis program in New Jersey. Overall, he believes the state’s cannabis industry must move toward a more competitive and accessible market and sees strong state leadership as key to improving access, ensuring fair pricing, and strengthening the industry as a whole,” she explained.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka told NJ Cannabis Insider lead reporter Jelani Gibson, “As for renters versus homeowners, cannabis shouldn’t be treated any differently than other restrictions on indoor or outdoor gardening, so long as it’s not commercial and is not in a public space where minors would have access.”
Baraka, like Fulop, has been publicly pro-cannabis, including consumption lounges. He has been so since at least when the adult-use cannabis legalization campaign went into full swing under incumbent Governor Phil Murphy (D), who cannot run for a 3rd term.
“Safe and responsible home growing should be part of our legal cannabis program in the state of New Jersey,” NJ Education Association teacher’s union President and former Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller told the NJ Monitor.
Congressman Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-5) of Bergen County has not responded to requests for his positions by multiple sources. The advocacy group NORML has said he has a good voting record on cannabis overall.
Sweeney for Medical Homegrowing of Cannabis
Former NJ Senate President Steve Sweeney of Gloucester County recently endorsed medical cannabis home cultivation in posts to social media.
The coalition said it “is a welcome shift for Sweeney, who helped hold personal cultivation at the line during several rounds of cannabis reform voting during his term in the Legislature.”
Overall, he has said he supports small businesspeople in the industry while meeting with the Hudson County Chamber of Commerce.
Republican Candidates for Governor on Cannabis
Radio host Bill Spadea, who is running as part of President Donald Trump’s movement, has said he is for medical homegrow.
Former Republican Assemblyman Jack Ciatarrelli of Somerset County agreed with allowing personal cultivation for medical patients, according to the NJ Monitor. However, he ran in 2021 as an anti-marijuana legalization candidate.
Also, former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac of Bergen County said he is for medical home grow too.
Republican State Senator Jon Bramnick of Union County has not commented on cannabis. In 2021, he abstained and did not support the adult-use cannabis legal law CREAMMA as an Assemblyman.
We’ll see if they keep their word. It’s unclear what the Republicans’ policy would be on the NJ Cannabis Regulatory Commission (NJCRC).
It might be terrible. For example, the Republican Governor of Virginia, George Youngkin, hates weed and will not allow their adult-use cannabis market to open.
The Governor controls many appointees and public policy. So, if he does not like something, he could severely ruin it, if not end it.
However, leading NJ cannabis advocate Bill Caruso does not believe any are as extreme as Youngkin. He is very familiar with all the candidates.
Former state Senator Ed Durr, who initially defeated Sweeney and then lost re-election, was said to be for it before recently dropping out of the race.
The Long Fight for Homegrow in the NJ Legislature
Senator Troy Singleton (D-7-Burlington) is the lead sponsor of S1393. His bill would allow registered medical cannabis patients to maintain a small garden.
But Senate President Nick Scutari (D-22-Union) does not allow proposed hearings. He has been blocking progress for years despite enjoying being the “Godfather of NJ Cannabis,” as he has called himself.
Scutari has falsely claimed that allowing personal gardens would somehow harm the heavily corporate NJ cannabis market.
New Jersey adult-use cannabis sales began on April 21, 2022, and went over $1 billion annually in 2024.
“We know that cannabis has the potential to treat a vast range of health conditions. The product has to be paid for entirely out of pocket,” Singleton noted.
“It is rarely a feasible long-term option for low-income patients. I remain hopeful that New Jersey will eventually authorize home grow. So that cannabis can be accessible to all potential medical users, regardless of income,” he added.
Fighting the Good Fight
“Many patients rely on specific combinations of cannabinoids and terpenes to manage their conditions effectively,” explained Trichome Analytical lab CEO and Homegrow Coalition co-founder Kristen Goedde.
“Cultivars (strains) with the most medicinal value often have longer growth cycles and lower yields, making them commercially unavailable in a market driven by adult-use consumption,” she added.
“These cultivars should not remain illegal or inaccessible to patients who depend on them for treatment,” Goedde declared.
“Navigating a legal market with high costs, safety concerns, and minimal transparency can be a challenge for any consumer. For patients like myself with strain-specific needs and multiple allergies, the right option might not even exist on shelves. Home cultivation is the only realistic pathway for some patients to access the customized, consistent medicine needed to maintain quality of life,” said noted cannabis advocate and patient Andrea Raible.
The primary is June 10th.
