After a long, tortured path through the Statehouse that came up short, the effort to legalize marijuana in New Jersey appears just days away from fruition by state residents instead of lawmakers.

With the election on Nov. 3, the ballot question to legalize adult use of marijuana appears to have the momentum, thanks to social issues, perhaps more so than economic reasons, say supporters and chairs of leading cannabis practice groups.

Polls show the majority of the public is in favor of giving low-level marijuana offenders a clean slate, something proponents say will be key in making minority communities devastated by mass incarceration whole again.