New Jersey Governor’s Race 2025: Where Candidates Stand on Cannabis Legalization and Home Grow

20 August, 2025

When New Jersey legalized recreational cannabis in 2020, it joined a wave of states reshaping drug policy and creating a new source of tax revenue. Yet five years on, the state still forbids residents from cultivating cannabis at home, in a restriction that keeps prices among the nation’s highest and leaves much of the illicit market intact. With Governor Phil Murphy term-limited, the 2025 election will determine whether New Jersey moves toward a more liberal regime or holds the line.

A Clear Divide Among Candidates

On cannabis reform, Democratic nominee Mikie Sherrill is the most explicit advocate for expanding access. The four-term congresswoman has supported federal reforms such as the SAFE Banking Act and the MORE Act, and she now backs full legalization of cannabis in New Jersey, including home cultivation for both medical patients and recreational users. She frames the policy as both a matter of public safety—reducing illicit sales and over-incarceration—and consumer fairness, provided there are “common-sense regulations” to guard against youth access.

Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli takes a more cautious stance. He opposes recreational legalization outright and would limit home cultivation to medical patients. His concern is that broader home grow rights could undercut businesses that have invested heavily in the state’s regulated market. Ciattarelli casts himself as protecting economic stakeholders while offering a modest concession to medical users.

Green Party contender Stephen Zielinski, who emphasizes climate change and education reform, has not articulated a cannabis platform. His campaign did not respond to repeated inquiries for comment from NewJerseyStateCannabis.org. This silence stands out, since the Green Party nationally has long supported marijuana legalization and broader drug policy reform. Without a stated position, voters cannot be sure whether Zielinski would prioritize the issue if elected.

NJ Cannabis Policy Implications for Voters

The differences are not academic. New Jersey collected more than $250 million in cannabis tax revenue in 2024, yet retail prices remain inflated, encouraging many consumers to turn to illicit suppliers. Advocates argue that allowing limited home cultivation, now common in most legalized states, would ease financial pressure on patients and consumers while aligning law with public opinion. Recent polling consistently shows majority support among New Jersey voters for both recreational legalization and home grow rights.

For Sherrill, expanding cannabis freedoms fits with a broader Democratic emphasis on consumer affordability and criminal justice reform. For Ciattarelli, restricting legalization resonates with socially conservative voters and with business owners wary of market disruption. His approach would likely preserve the existing system but slow further liberalization.

What is at Stake for NJ Voters

For voters who care about cannabis policy, the choice is stark:

• Sherrill represents continuity with Murphy’s legalization drive and promises incremental liberalization, including home grow.
• Ciattarelli offers a brake on further reform, sanctioning only narrow medical allowances.
• Zielinski and other minor candidates provide little detail.

With affordability already central to the 2025 campaign, cannabis prices and access could sway a subset of voters, particularly younger ones and those who see legalization as part of a broader equity agenda. The election will decide whether New Jersey joins most of its peers in loosening restrictions, or remains one of the few states where legalization stops at the medical dispensary door.