Former Speaker of the House, John Boehner (R, OH) has joined the board of directors of the cannabis-related holding company: Acreage Holdings. In a tweet that left the cannabis industry ecstatic and friends and foes alike slightly stunned, Boehner proclaimed that his “thinking on cannabis has evolved.”

The tweet from the formerly staunch opponent of legalized cannabis coincides with his appointment to the board of directors of one of the country’s largest cannabis investment portfolio companies. Acreage was founded in 2014 and has steadily invested capital into companies and continually expanding into emerging cannabis markets. The company has its footprint in 11 states across the country and with the appointments of Boehner and former Governor of Massachusetts, Bill Weld, shows no signs of easing off its bullish approach over the past few years.

For Boehner, as he explained to Bloomberg, the change in heart began in earnest while having conversations with a close friend who explained that cannabis had greatly enhanced their quality of life while dealing with severe back pain.

Many cannabis industry experts are hopeful that Boehner’s U-turn, in addition to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s recent suggestion that hemp be decriminalized, will help to erode the largely conservative animosity and resistance to legalization. MMLG’s own director, Josh Singer, remarked: “It is encouraging to see conservative figures change their minds on legalization of cannabis but Boehner is no longer an elected official and the state McConnell represents is heavily invested in hemp production.  The hope is that this change in tune will move on to other leaders in Congress and the Administration who can do something to legalize cannabis.

Of course, Boehner and McConnell are only two voices fighting upstream against the conservative opposition. But they are significant voices all the same. With two of the most respected figures in the conservative movement calling for the same thing that Cynthia Nixon (D, NY), gubernatorial challenger to New York’s Andrew Cuomo (D, NY), possibly the country is moving closer to bridging this particular partisan gap and possibly edging nearer to legalization on a federal level. While the obstacles are still numerous and very clear, see: Jeff Sessions’ declaration back in January; the support for federal legalization is growing, and that would be change we can all believe in.