Actress and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon is making legalization of recreational marijuana a central plank in her bid for governor of New York.

Citing racial justice as the primary reason New York should join eight other states in legalizing the substance, Nixon also says it would generate tax revenue and create new agricultural opportunities in a video released by on social media Wednesday.

"There are a lot of good reasons for legalizing marijuana, but for me, it comes down to this: we have to stop putting people of color in jail for something that white people do with impunity," she says in the video. "Eighty percent of the New Yorkers arrested for marijuana are black or Latino, despite the fact that whites and people of color use marijuana at roughly the same rates."

The Nixon campaign is also urging supporters to sign a petition calling on Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the Legislature to pass a bill to legalize recreational marijuana in New York. New York currently has a medical marijuana program that is among the most restrictive in the country.

Cuomo, who will face off against Nixon in September's Democratic primary, has scoffed at the idea of making weed legal in the past, calling cannabis a "gateway drug." However, in this year's budget, he pushed for the inclusion of funds for a study the impact of marijuana legalization in neighboring states like Massachusetts and Vermont.

In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy has also indicated that he is in favor of legalizing the drug, prompting some to question why New York is lagging behind.