ALBANY – New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is expected to announce this week an easing of the state’s marijuana law, allowing for its limited use by those with serious illnesses, the New York Times reports.

Cuomo advocates a somewhat restrictive medical marijuana carve out, allowing just 20 hospitals across the state to prescribe the drug to patients with cancer, glaucoma, or other diseases as determined by the New York State Department of Health. He hopes to have an infrastructure in place later this year to begin dispensing the drug, though it is uncertain when it will actually be available to patients.

The newspaper writes that some see the move as a major policy shift designed to bolster the governor’s popularity with a large portion of his political base. Cuomo is up for election this year, and polls show overwhelming support for medical marijuana in New York.

Medical marijuana bills have passed New York’s State Assembly four times, though each time the measured stalled in the Senate. However, this time, Cuomo is bypassing the Legislature, relying on a provision in the public health law that allows for the use of controlled substances for “cancer patients, glaucoma patients, and patients afflicted with other diseases as such diseases are approved by the commissioner.”

Ethan Nadelmann, the executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, praised Cuomo’s decision as “a bold and innovative way of breaking the logjam” in Albany, though it may not be the final word on medical marijuana.

Cuomo “remains committed to developing the best medical marijuana law in the country,” Nadelmann said. “And that’s going to require legislative action.”