The push to legalize recreational marijuana in New York could be completed this spring.

Speaking to WAMC News on Wednesday morning, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo revealed his intention to address the legalization of marijuana in the state budget, which is due by March 31. The announcement further cements the governor’s 180 degree turn on marijuana, which he described as a gateway drug in 2017.

A state study commissioned by Cuomo reported last summer that the benefits of legalizing marijuana outweighed the negatives, and he launched a task force in August to craft legislative recommendations. The task force held listening tours in the fall, but it has yet to make any public findings based on the input it received.

The governor already imposed a 100-day deadline in the new year for introducing legislation, and his plan to include the language in the state budget would speed up the timeline. He is scheduled to make his executive budget presentation later this month.

Unlike other progressive policies being touted by the governor as part of his social justice agenda and long championed by the state Assembly, but held up by a GOP controlled state Senate, legislation allowing for recreational marijuana has never come up for a vote in the Capitol. Additionally, states that have legalized marijuana have pursued voter referendums instead of legislative action.