John Boehner is suddenly all about legal weed now

John Boehner — you know, the one who described himself as “unalterably opposed” to marijuana legalization — is joining a marijuana business.

The former Republican Speaker of the House will join the advisory board for a marijuana cultivation and distribution company, Acreage Holdings. The company describes itself as a “multi-state owner of cannabis licenses and assets in states where either medical and/or adult use cannabis is legal.” It has properties in 11 states.

“Over the last 10 or 15 years, the American people’s attitudes have changed dramatically,” Boehner told Bloomberg. “I find myself in that same position.”

Boehner is joined by former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld, who ran as the vice presidential candidate alongside Gary Johnson in the Libertarian's bid for president in 2016.

Boehner’s embrace of legal weed is a total reversal of his positions while he held one of the highest elected offices in the U.S. from 2011 to 2015. Back in 2011, Boehner said marijuana was a gateway drug, a common and widely disputed talking point of legal weed’s staunchest opponents.

"I remain concerned that legalization will result in increased abuse of all varieties of drugs, including alcohol,” he said.

NORML, a nonprofit that advocates for marijuana decriminalization, has previously given Boehner a “zero percent” rating on marijuana legalization and also said that the former House Speaker had a “hard-on-drugs stance.”

Boehner voted to prohibit safe needle exchanges and medical marijuana in Washington, D.C.

Cover image: In this Jan. 5, 2011, file photo, U.S. Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, who was elected House Speaker later that day during the 112th Congress, walks out of his home on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)