According to a poll released Monday, a majority of residents in New York State support a pilot program for legalizing marijuana under certain circumstances, which Governor Andrew Cuomo unveiled last week during his state-of-the-state address.

The poll, conducted by Siena College, reveals that New Yorkers are firm supporters of the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes. In terms of legalizing the plant for recreational use, New York is a state divided. Just over half of those polled oppose this type of legalization, while slightly under half are in favor.

Gov. Cuomo's game plan for legalizing marijuana would come in the form of a pilot program that would test the waters, so to speak, but would not necessarily become a permanent endeavor. Marijuana would be made legal only for medicinal uses and just 20 hospitals throughout the entire state would be allowed to distribute it, according to a report from the Los Angeles Times.

"While 28 percent of voters support the governor's approach of a pilot program to provide medical marijuana to patients, 49 percent think New York should follow the lead of about 20 other states and legalize medical marijuana," said Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg.

The numbers show that overall, more than two-thirds of voters, regardless of party, region or demographic group, would be in favor of making available medicinal marijuana for patients suffering serious illnesses. The only deviation from this trend was found among conservatives who participated in the poll, 58 percent of whom support it.

When asked about making marijuana legal for recreational use, the numbers are mixed but overall a majority of those polled are against it.

In terms of party lines, Democrats and Independents are closely divided while Republicans overall firmly oppose the notion. However, voters under the age of 35 show strong support for legal recreational pot and this consensus was found to be the same among "a bare majority" of men, the poll found.

"When it comes to legalizing marijuana for recreational use, a majority say no," Greenberg said. "New Yorkers are not yet ready to duplicate what they see in the mile high city."

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