New York to Legalize Weed? 89 Percent of New Yorkers Support Recreational Marijuana

A recent Quinnipiac University poll shows that majority of New York citizens are in favor of medical and recreational pot.

Specifically, the poll findings reveal that 89% of New Yorkers support the legalization of marijuana for medical use while 57% approve of making recreational pot legit.

New Yorkers over the age of 65 are opposed to marijuana legalization while citizens aged 18 to 29 years old approve of making pot legal by 83%, says the poll findings.

The recent poll also shows that at 63%, men are more in favor of marijuana use made legal while 51% of women feel the same.

46 percent of the state voters of New York admit to having tried marijuana while the majority (51 percent) claims they haven't.

The state of New York was part of the few states which had no medical marijuana program until Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed one with rules that would be "the most restrictive in the country," says NPR.

"We'll establish a program allowing up to 20 hospitals to prescribe medical marijuana," Gov. Cuomo said in his State of the State speech, the NPR report notes. "We will monitor the program to evaluate the effectiveness and the feasibility of a medical marijuana system."

"Medical marijuana is a no-brainer for New York State voters, and they also would follow Colorado in legalizing marijuana for fun. But a slim plurality don't think legalization has been good for Colorado's reputation," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

Recreational pot has been legalized in Colorado the past month with the state issuing licenses late last year. The issued licenses allow store holders to legally sell pot starting January 1, 2014.

"The state Marijuana Enforcement Division mailed out licenses to 136 marijuana stores. Those stores can sell recreational pot to those 21 years and older if they've also received licenses and approval from local governments," reports The Gazette.

Should New York state voters have it their way, recreational pot use on top of the restrictive medical use of marijuana is most likely on the horizon in the state of New York.