Wary of Trump, New Jersey lawmakers eying pot legalization

Ashley Thompson inspects marijuana plants inside the

Ashley Thompson inspects marijuana plants inside the "Mother Room" at the Ataraxia medical marijuana cultivation center in Albion

New Jersey lawmakers say they’re concerned about what President-elect Donald Trump’s selection of Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions as attorney general could mean for marijuana legalization.

But they’re still planning to move forward after Republican Gov. Chris Christie’s term ends in 2018.

Trump said during the campaign he favors letting states decide whether marijuana should be legalized.

But he recently invited Sessions, who opposes legalizing recreational marijuana, to lead the Justice Department. The prospect of a Sessions-led law enforcement agency worries lawmakers in Democrat-leaning New Jersey.

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Democratic state Sen. Nicholas Scutari says he takes Trump at his word that he would let states decide the issue and plans to go forward with a bill that could see a hearing as soon as this year.

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