In a surprising move, former House speaker John Boehner has joined the board of directors of Acreage Holdings, a multi-state company focused on growing and selling marijuana. Boehner was a long-time opponent to marijuana legalization but is quoted in the Washington Post as saying:

I have concluded descheduling [marijuana] is needed so that we can do research and allow [the Department of Veterans Affairs] to offer it as a treatment option in the fight against the opioid epidemic that is ravaging our communities.

The Post article goes on to note that:

Descheduling cannabis would not legalize it nationally, but it would end federal marijuana enforcement and allow states to set their own marijuana policies without federal interference.

It remains to be seen whether Boehner’s reversal on marijuana legalization is indicative of a larger trend, but at a minimum it is a step in the right direction.