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ALBANY – Cities and towns in New York would still be able to ban marijuana sales under Gov. Andrew Cuomo's soon-to-be-released plan to legalize the drug statewide.
Cuomo, a Democrat, is expected to unveil his full recreational marijuana proposal Tuesday as part of his budget plan and State of the State address, which is set for 2 p.m.
But he gave a preview during a radio interview Monday, where he revealed two things:
His plan would prohibit the sale of marijuana to those under the age of 21.
Local governments would be able to opt-out of legalizing marijuana sales.
"For me, it's about the regulation and making sure that we protect young people — that’s why we set an age of 21 years old," Cuomo said on WAMC-FM (90.3) in Albany.
"We gave local governments the ability to opt out if they want, so they could do that."
Both of those provisions were included in a prior bill sponsored by Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, D-Buffalo, and Senate Finance Chair Liz Krueger, D-Manhattan, whose legislation is believed to provide the base for Cuomo's proposal.
More:Marijuana in New York: Gov. Andrew Cuomo is set to reveal his plan to make it legal
The news came hours after a poll was released Monday morning showing a majority of New York voters support legalizing marijuana for recreational use, with the highest levels of support in New York City and upstate.
Statewide, 56 percent of voters said they support legalization of the drug compared to 41 percent who said they're opposed, the Siena College poll released Monday found.
The poll comes as marijuana legalization appears to be getting closer and closer to reality in New York.
There's a narrow majority of support for legalization across all regions of the state, Siena's poll showed.
Support is strongest in New York City, where 58 percent were in favor and 40 percent opposed.
It's a little lower in the city's suburbs, where 51 percent were supportive and 43 percent were against it.
And upstate voters — defined by Siena as all those from counties outside New York City, Rockland, Putnam, Orange and Long Island — backed it 57 percent to 41 percent.
In the radio interview Monday, Cuomo acknowledged previously having "trepidations" about legalizing the drug.
But he said he's comfortable the benefits outweigh the risks after a state Department of Health report reached that conclusion last year.
He also said his plan would include an opt-out clause for municipalities who do not want to allow for the sale of marijuana in their communities.
"It has to be regulated," Cuomo said on WAMC radio in Albany.
"We're going to regulate it in this state. We think it will raise about $300 million in revenue, depending on how it works."
Siena polled 805 voters by phone from Jan. 6 through 10. The poll has a margin of error of 4.1 percentage points.
More:Recreational marijuana: Why it's no longer a pipe dream in New York
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Jon Campbell is a correspondent with the USA TODAY Network's Albany Bureau.
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