---
type: "Bill"
title: "Revises requirements to authorize and access medical cannabis; establishes Cannabis Regulatory Commission; revises permit requirements for alternative treatment centers; and establishes additional legal protections for patients and caregivers."
description: "Revises requirements to authorize and access medical cannabis; establishes Cannabis Regulatory Commission; revises permit requirements for alternative treatment centers; and establishes additional legal protections for patients and caregivers."
jurisdiction: "us/states/nj"
legislature: "New Jersey Legislature"
session: "218"
identifier: "A 20"
citation: "New Jersey A 20 (218)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["DRUG ABUSE", "HEALTH", "PHARMACEUTIC"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Danielsen, Joe", "Downey, Joann", "Houghtaling, Eric", "Murphy, Carol A.", "O'Scanlon, Declan J.", "Pintor Marin, Eliana", "Scutari, Nicholas P.", "Vitale, Joseph F.", "Zwicker, Andrew"]
version_count: 1
action_count: 9
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2019-06-18T04:00:00+00:00"
last_action: "2019-07-02T04:00:00+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/ca1c722d-e5d4-4f2a-81fb-0507fbda1e4d"
source_url: "http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/downloads.asp"
source_hash: "0d63c69b3bc36d2edd59db884722072685c3205463792a26a2cc356a551fcc7e"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-nj"]
---

# New Jersey A 20 (218) — Revises requirements to authorize and access medical cannabis; establishes Cannabis Regulatory Commission; revises permit requirements for alternative treatment centers; and establishes additional legal protections for patients and caregivers.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Introduced Version** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2018/Bills/A0500/20_I1.HTM)

## Votes

- 3RDG FINAL PASSAGE — **32–5** (pass) · upper
- 3RDG FINAL PASSAGE — **66–5** (pass) · lower
- Reported favorably out of committee — **8–1** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Danielsen, Joe — primary (person)
- Downey, Joann — primary (person)
- Houghtaling, Eric — primary (person)
- Murphy, Carol A. — primary (person)
- O'Scanlon, Declan J. — primary (person)
- Pintor Marin, Eliana — primary (person)
- Scutari, Nicholas P. — primary (person)
- Vitale, Joseph F. — primary (person)
- Zwicker, Andrew — primary (person)
- Calabrese, Clinton — cosponsor (person)
- Jasey, Mila M. — cosponsor (person)
- Karabinchak, Robert J. — cosponsor (person)
- Lampitt, Pamela R. — cosponsor (person)
- Lopez, Yvonne — cosponsor (person)
- McKeon, John F. — cosponsor (person)
- McKnight, Angela V. — cosponsor (person)
- Quijano, Annette — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2019-06-18T04:00:00+00:00** Introduced in the Assembly, Referred to Assembly Appropriations Committee `introduction, referral-committee`
- **2019-06-18T04:00:00+00:00** Reported out of Assembly Committee, 2nd Reading `committee-passage`
- **2019-06-20T04:00:00+00:00** Passed Assembly (66-5-6) `passage`
- **2019-06-20T04:00:00+00:00** Received in the Senate without Reference, 2nd Reading
- **2019-06-20T04:00:00+00:00** Substituted for S20
- **2019-06-20T04:00:00+00:00** Motion To Sa (Singer)
- **2019-06-20T04:00:00+00:00** Motion To Table Sa (22-12) (Weinberg)
- **2019-06-20T04:00:00+00:00** Passed Senate (Passed Both Houses) (32-5) `passage`
- **2019-07-02T04:00:00+00:00** Approved P.L.2019, c.153. `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/ca1c722d-e5d4-4f2a-81fb-0507fbda1e4d`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official New Jersey legislature records).