Acreage Holdings, a New York City-based cannabis corporation which operates in 11 states, has added former Speaker of the House of Representatives John Boehner and former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld to its board of advisors.
Acreage founder and CEO Kevin Murphy said the addition of the duo to the board “will lead to even greater access for patients by changing the conversation overnight.”
“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.” – Murphy in a press release
Both Boehner and Weld, who also served as the vice presidential candidate on the 2016 Libertarian ticket with former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, have also committed to join the company’s board of directors once it has been formed and other directors have been appointed.
In a joint statement, Boehner and Weld said that they “believe the time has come for serious consideration of a shift of federal marijuana policy” citing states’ rights and veteran access.
“While the Tenth Amendment has allowed much to occur at the state level, there are still many negative implications of the Federal policy to schedule cannabis as a Class 1 drug: most notably the lack of research, the ambiguity around financial services and the refusal of the VA to offer it as an alternative to the harmful opioids that are ravishing our communities.” – Boehner and Weld in a joint statement.
Where did they stand as policymakers? In 2006, Boehner, a Republican, was rated a -30 by the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, indicating a “hard-on-drugs” stance. In 1999, he voted against a bill to implement a voter-approved medical cannabis law in Washington, D.C.
As Massachusetts governor, Weld supported medical cannabis access. As a vice presidential candidate, Weld said he would vote for the legalization initiative in his home state.