In the race to legalize marijuana, it looked like New Jersey was the frontrunner in the Northeast.

Now, with the green finish line finally in sight, there's suddenly a new rival: New York.

On Dec. 17, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo — who just won re-election to a third term — announced that marijuana legalization would be one of his top priorities.

CUOMO TO NY: "Legalize it," governor says

It's a turnabout for Cuomo, who described marijuana as a "gateway drug" as recently as 2017, telling reporters that he was "unconvinced" when it came to marijuana legalization.

There's a lot to unpack when it comes to the race for legal weed, so let's break it down:

What is Cuomo actually planning?

In short, Cuomo now says he wants to legalize marijuana for adult use — joining Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Nevada, California, Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine and Michigan.

“Let’s legalize the adult use of recreational marijuana once and for all,” Cuomo told the New York Bar Association, in his first public comments supporting legal weed.

New York legislators have not introduced a bill yet, but if the Empire State follows the usual protocol, it would mean:

Possession of up to 1 ounce of marijuana would be legal.

Marijuana would be taxed and sold at new, licensed dispensaries.

You would not be able to consume marijuana in public, including parks and bars.

Driving while high would still be illegal.

The timing is the most interesting aspect of Cuomo's announcement: He wants to legalize weed within his first 100 days of his new term. Fun fact: April 20, the unofficial marijuana holiday, would be the 110th day.

Sound familiar? New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, starting his second year in office, ran on a campaign that included marijuana legalization and also pledged to legalize marijuana within his first 100 days.

SPOILER ALERT: Murphy's 100 days passed without legal weed

That obviously has not happened.

Is New York going to beat us to marijuana legalization?

Probably not — though nothing is guaranteed.

While Cuomo and Murphy's pledges are similar in scope and audacity, the New Jersey legal weed discussions have proven that support from Democrats is not a sure thing, despite being a major progressive tentpole.

In New Jersey, a number of Democratic legislators who are usually reliable votes on such progressive issues have remained adamantly against marijuana legalization, including black Democrats in urban cities with large black populations. Watch the videos at the top of the page for more on the New Jersey marijuana legalization debate.

COLUMN: Legal weed won't stop the drug war, top Democrat says

African Americans have historically been arrested for marijuana possession at three times the rate of whites in New Jersey, despite similar usage rates.

"This is a newer position for (Cuomo)," said Bill Caruso, co-founder of New Jersey United for Marijuana Reform, a legalization advocacy group. "And there's a lot in this beyond just the legalization of marijuana — like the creation of a market that's racially diverse and fair takes some time, especially one that takes into account a very diverse state like New York."

And this is in a state where Democrats have controlled both the Senate and Assembly since 2004. In New York, Democrats just took control of the state Senate for the first time in nearly a decade. Voting to legalize weed could be a risky move for a newly elected Democratic legislator in a conservative area.

Even if Cuomo and his Legislature are on the same page, 100 days may still be a pipe dream. Crafting the current New Jersey marijuana legalization bill has taken many years and many forms since Sen. Nicholas Scutari, D-Union, introduced it in 2014.

For example, the proposed tax rate for New Jersey weed has fluctuated, anywhere from 7 percent to 25 percent. Some versions of the bill toyed with a mandated cap on the number of marijuana dispensaries, and the state's biggest marijuana legalization advocates are still holding out hope for the legalization of home grown cannabis.

And ensuring that African Americans have true incentive and encouragement to enter the legal weed industry has proven to be a real sticking point.

MORE: Activists push for adversity in NJ marijuana market

"The idea that the governor is going to just walk in there and put this on the desk of legislators and have it approved is an interesting prospect," Caruso said. "We've had a grassroots effort here in New Jersey, formally, since 2014. That hasn't even developed in New York yet.

"There's a lot of foundation work that has to come along with this and it's just not there," he said.

Why is being 'first' important?

The first state to legalize marijuana in a region is primed to see a boom in tax revenue as visitors from other states travel there solely to purchase and consume legal weed.

The second state isn't likely to reap as much new cash.

Legal weed can boost a state's tourism industry, as has been the case in Colorado, where the state tourism office reported that 17 percent of all 2017 visitors spent $287 million on "marijuana tourism."

IN-DEPTH: Legal weed blew up Colorado tourism. What's it mean for the Jersey Shore?

New Jersey welcomes considerably more out-of-state visitors than Colorado, an estimated 100 million in 2017, according to the New Jersey tourism office.

If the Garden State becomes the mid-Atlantic marijuana oasis, it would mean legal weed is just a short train, bus or car ride away from millions of people in New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware.

But if New Jersey is beaten to the punch? They may simply stay home and pay marijuana taxes elsewhere.

How close is New Jersey to legalizing marijuana, anyway?

Two things need to happen.

First, there needs to be a compromise. Murphy's 2018-19 budget called for a 25 percent tax rate, while the current legal weed bill — which cleared committee in November — has just a 12 percent tax rate.

And the bill calls for the creation of a full-time autonomous Cannabis Control Commission to regulate the marijuana industry.

Three commissioners would be appointed by the governor, with Senate approval, while the Senate President and Assembly Speaker would each nominate another member. One member would come from a social justice organization.

"New Jersey is really close, and I think there's an ability to work out some of the substantive details in very short order," Caruso said, estimating that those issues could be resolved within the next two months.

Once those issues are worked out, Murphy and legislative leaders will need to whip the votes as neither the Senate nor the Assembly has enough votes to legalize weed.

What’s the status of marijuana legalization and what will it mean for your community? Join our Facebook group, Let's Talk About Marijuana, at fb.com/groups/WeedNJ to discuss what's going on in your town, in the world of cannabis and with the social justice issues at the center of it all.

Mike Davis; @byMikeDavis: 732-643-4223; mdavis@gannettnj.com