Boehner: Weed it & weep, I’m a fan
FORMER HOUSE Speaker John Boehner is joining the green party.
The Ohio Republican, who’s known as a longtime cigarette smoker and once told voters he was “unalterably opposed” to pot legalization, said Wednesday he has had a change of heart on marijuana.
Boehner announced he has joined the advisory board of Acreage Holdings, a nationwide cannabis company based in New York, and will promote the federal legalization of weed as a way to help veterans and the nation’s deadly opioid crisis.
Boehner said in a statement his position “has evolved” from opposing to supporting legalization of marijuana.
“I decided to get involved because of the struggles of our country’s veterans and the opioid epidemic, after learning how descheduling the drug can potentially help with both crises,” the 68-year-old said.
Roughly 61% of Americans believe that marijuana should be legal, according to a Pew Research Center poll from October.