New York may become the 21st state to relax its laws on marijuana, CNN reported.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is reportedly considering allowing limited use of the drug for medical purposes. He is expected to take executive action on Jan. 8 to let select hospitals dispense marijuana to select patients, CNN reported citing State assemblyman Richard Gottfried.

Gottfried, who has been a leading proponent in legalizing the use of medical marijuana and also decriminalizing it, told CNN he learned about Cuomo's decision when he was briefed by the governor's staff on Monday.

Under Cuomo's initiative, 20 hospitals across the state would be allowed to prescribe marijuana to patients suffering from cancer, glaucoma and other serious diseases "that meet standards to be set by the state Department of Health," Reuters reported.

Despite it being a "limited and cumbersome program" and slightly loosening the restrictions on the drug, it is a step forward on the issue, according to the assemblyman.

"I'm thrilled that the governor has taken this action," Gottfried said. "This is a very key interim step."

Cuomo, a Democratic, "has always been staunchly against legalizing" the drug for medical use, The Guardian reported.

Cuomo's initiative would be "far more" restrictive than the laws in Colorado or California, where medical marijuana is available to people suffering from back pains, Reuters reported.

Colorado became the first state to regulate and sell marijuana for recreational use last week. It is one of the twenty states that have liberalized their laws in ways ranging from the use of medical marijuana to decriminalizing basic possession of the drug, up to full recreational use

The governor's executive action does not require legislative approval. However, it does rely on a "provision in a state public health law that allows for the use of controlled substances for patients with cancer and other serious illnesses," Reuters reported.

"[Cuomo] can take [this step] without the need for further legislation," Gottfried said. "But to have a truly comprehensive and well-working system will take legislation."