What exactly such a program would look like in New York State is an open question; the state’s 2014 medical marijuana law, which came after more than 20 other states had established such programs, was heavily criticized during its early years for being too restrictive and ineffective, though changes have since been made. But marijuana is still not allowed to be smoked in the medical program — the drug is available in oil forms, among others — a stipulation of Mr. Cuomo’s, who had insisted on strict controls.

Dr. Zucker said that the report on recreational usage was done in consultation with “experts from all across the government,” including specialists in public safety, public health, and economics, including taxation. He said that group had considered a wide range of issues — including the age of allowed use, impaired driving, and production and distribution — and concluded that legal marijuana could be done statewide.

Dr. Zucker made his remarks to reporters after making an announcement in Brooklyn regarding the finalizing of regulations to allow those using or abusing prescription opioids to qualify for the state’s medical marijuana program.

Mr. Cuomo has been saying that the report from the health department would be done for several weeks, but on Monday, his office said only that they would “review the report when we receive it.”

Dr. Zucker said the report would come out “soon,” adding that “the governor had charged me, over the years, with a lot of reports that he wanted me to put forward. And he knows I like to cross all my T’s and dot all my I’s.”

Ms. Nixon’s campaign seized on the news of the long-awaited report as a sign of the reactive nature of the Mr. Cuomo’s recent governance, which has included several efforts to appease voters on the left. Lauren Hitt, a spokeswoman for Ms. Nixon’s campaign, said, “It shouldn’t have taken Cuomo eight years” and a challenge from Ms. Nixon “to understand the ‘facts have changed.’”

Ms. Nixon has made the issue a centerpiece of her insurgent campaign, framing the idea as a criminal justice reform, noting that smoking marijuana is “something that white people do with impunity,” while members of minority groups are disproportionately arrested and tried for possession and other drug crimes.