John Boehner Joins Marijuana Firm: ‘My Thinking on Cannabis Has Evolved’

So, it looks like John Boehner might trade in his cigars for blunts.

The retired Republican politician and former House speaker announced on Twitter that he’s the newest board member of Acreage Holdings. The firm is an investment corporation specializing in the cultivation and dispersal of marijuana across 11 different U.S. states.

I’m joining the board of #AcreageHoldings because my thinking on cannabis has evolved. I’m convinced de-scheduling the drug is needed so we can do research, help our veterans, and reverse the opioid epidemic ravaging our communities. @AcreageCannabis https://t.co/f5i9KcQD0W

— John Boehner (@SpeakerBoehner) April 11, 2018

Longtime political observers would agree Boehner’s position on weed certainly has “evolved” from 2009, when he said he was “unalterably opposed” to legalization. Former Republican Massachusetts governor Bill Weld is also joining the Acreage board of advisers, according to Acreage founder and CEO Kevin Murphy.

“The addition of Speaker Boehner and Governor Weld to our Board will lead to even greater access for patients by changing the conversation overnight,” said Murphy. “These men have shaped the political course of our country for decades and now they will help shape the course of this nascent but ascendant industry.”

Both Boehner and Weld say they’ve never personally tried it, but they gave a joint statement about how “the time has come for serious consideration of a shift in federal marijuana policy.”

[Image via Gage Skidmore]

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