Marijuana Industry Gears Up After N.J. Candidate Backs Legalization

BELVIDERE, N.J. — Stacks of résumés from retired state troopers sit on a desk just outside the Terra Tech farm here, though the need for experienced armed security appears excessive amid the serene setting and the scent of basil and rosemary growing at the five-acre indoor farm.

The troopers, however, are hoping to work for the company’s next major agricultural expansion in New Jersey: marijuana.

“They told us, ‘Keep us in mind for when you guys do get that cannabis permit,’” said Mike James, the chief financial officer for Terra Tech, which owns five marijuana farms and dispensaries around the country.

The march toward full marijuana legalization has percolated in the state for years and the use of the drug for medicinal purposes has been legal since 2010. But since Philip D. Murphy, the Democratic candidate for governor and the early favorite in recent polling for November’s general election, announced his unambiguous support for making recreational marijuana use legal, the $6 billion nationwide industry has aggressively accelerated its efforts in New Jersey.

While his Republican opponent, Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, opposes legalization, a coalition of lobbyists,…

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