He's been talking about it for awhile, ever since getting elected several years ago, actually.
Talk is cheap, though.
It's not enough for Pataki to just talk about changing the law. The law actually needs to get changed. At least he needs to make a credible effort to change them. Such an effort, on the part of a Republican governor, would be likely to meet with some success. Actually, I think all the drug laws should be repealed, though that's not the issue at hand at this moment.