ALBANY - Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday offered his most forceful support to date for legalizing recreational marijuana, marking the culmination of a dramatic shift for the governor who called it a "gateway drug" as recently as last year.

Cuomo, a Democrat, vowed in a speech in Manhattan to push for legalization within the first 100 days of 2019, saying it was beyond time for the state to deal with the "debilitating criminal stigma" of prior convictions related to the drug.

It was the latest step in Cuomo's slow crawl toward supporting marijuana legalization, which he had opposed for much of his first two terms in office before beginning to embrace it this year as neighboring states and Canada moved to allow the drug.

Cuomo said legalizing the drug would help end "needless and unjust criminal convictions" for possession, which have disproportionately affected minority communities.

Nationwide, 10 states and Washington D.C. have legalized small amounts of the drug for personal use, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

"Let's legalize the adult use of recreational marijuana once and for all," Cuomo said during the speech at the New York City Bar Association.

Cuomo changes position

For years, Cuomo had opposed marijuana legalization.

When he was first voted into office in 2010, Cuomo spoke out against legalizing the drug for even medicinal purposes, arguing that the "dangers of medical marijuana outweigh the benefits."

He reversed course in 2014 as support grew in the state Legislature, signing into law the state's medical-marijuana program but insisting on heavy restrictions, including a ban on smokeable forms of the drug.

Cuomo remained opposed to legalizing recreational marijuana until January, when he directed the state Department of Health to study the ramifications of legalization and whether the state should move ahead.

More:Andrew Cuomo's changing position on marijuana: A timeline

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The study was originally supposed to be released by the end of the year, but the timeline was moved up while Cuomo was facing a primary challenge from Cynthia Nixon, who supported legalization and was challenging Cuomo from the left.

The Health Department's report was ultimately released in July, finding that the benefits of allowing recreational marijuana outweighed the potential drawbacks. The next month, Cuomo appointed a task force to draft legislation to legalize and regulate the drug.

Neighboring states

In shifting his position, Cuomo has pointed to Vermont, Massachusetts and Canada, neighboring entities that have legalized the drug.

The Health Department's report estimated New York could see anywhere from $248 million to $678 million added to its coffers the first year marijuana is legalized, depending on the price of the drug and the rate it's taxed.

On Monday, Cuomo pointed to the criminal-justice issues associated with marijuana legalization, suggesting he will push to take some action to deal with the criminal record of those who had been convicted of possession in the past.

"The fact is, we have had two criminal justice systems: one for the wealthy and the well-off, and one for everyone else," Cuomo said. "And that's going to end."

Marijuana legalization is expected to become a major topic of conversation when the state Legislature returns to the Capitol in January.

For the first time since Cuomo took office in 2011, both houses of the Legislature will be controlled by Democrats.

Key supporters of marijuana legalization will be in major roles in the Legislature, with incoming Senate Finance Chair Liz Krueger, D-Manhattan, and Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, D-Buffalo, sponsoring a bill that would make it happen.

Last week, Krueger said she's optimistic Cuomo will include his marijuana proposal in his state budget proposal next month, a move that would better ensure it becomes an issue tackled by the Legislature in the new year.

"Things are different this year in a couple of ways," Krueger said in an interview.

"One, there's a Democratic Senate. And two, I don't think there's any year previous where I would have said I think the governor is going to roll it out as (his own proposal)."

Supporters, opponents organize

Kassandra Frederique, state director of the Drug Police Alliance, said Cuomo and lawmakers have a "golden opportunity to get marijuana legalization done the right way, right away."

“Governor Cuomo and the legislature must implement legalization in a way that ensures equity and diversity, while reinvesting in the communities hit hardest by marijuana criminalization," Frederique said in a statement.

Opponents of legal marijuana have also been organizing in recent months, with the state chapter of Smart Approaches to Marijuana urging people to send a form letter to Cuomo asking that he oppose legalization.

"Now is exactly the wrong time to commercialize marijuana in our state," the letter reads. "Legalization in other states has been a failed experiment, let’s not repeat their mistakes."

JCAMPBELL1@gannett.com

Jon Campbell is a correspondent for the USA TODAY Network's Albany Bureau.