Staff
The news of former Speaker of the House John Boehner joining Acreage Holdings as a board member caught many in the cannabis industry by surprise. Boehner to date hadn’t shown any interest in the industry and had has actually been a vocal critic. The Green Market Report collected some insiders views on this new cannabis supporter.
“I’m cautiously optimistic that the former Republican Speaker of the House joined the advisory board of a cannabis company firm. I have great respect for Mr. Boehner, and his decision to become involved with the industry and therefore by default an advocate of cannabis is remarkable. It seems that each day or week another material event takes place in our industry that validates and helps promote the cannabis marketplace overall.”– Jim Pakulis, CEO of TransCanna Holdings Inc., a privately held firm specializing in branding and logistics in California for cannabis-related companies.
“We were excited to see Acreage’s announcement this morning that Speaker Boehner and Governor Weld will be joining Acreage’s board and believe that the state-legal cannabis industry just got two powerful allies. We know the Acreage team to be great industry leaders and are optimistic that with their new advisory Board, Acreage can help lead the way for commonsense reform at the federal level.” – David Feuerstein, Co-Founder & Partner at Feuerstein Kulick LLP, a cannabis law firm providing legal services to companies, funds, investors, and lenders in the space.
“With the majority of Republicans favoring legalization and states rights, it is no surprise that mainstream right-leaning politicians are beginning to gravitate towards cannabis. Luckily for all of us, the Reagan era drug warrior platform is dying.” – Erik Knutson, CEO of Keef Brands, a manufacturer of cannabis-infused products Keef Cola, Keef Sparking Water, Oil Stix and Vitacanna.
“The appointment of former House Speaker John Boehner to the Acreage Holdings Advisory Board is a smart and game-changing validation of Cannabis’ future promise and value to human health and the wellness of the American public.” – Robert Fireman, CEO of MariMed Inc., (MRMD), an industry leader in the development and management of nationally acclaimed cannabis cultivation, processing, and dispensary facilities.
“This is a great step for the industry and a strong indicator of the political and social winds blowing in favor of legalization. With high ranking former elected officials coming out for legalization after looking at the research more closely, and Congress considering this issue more by the year, politicians currently in office should take note and act now to be a leader on this issue.” – Derek Peterson, CEO of Terra Tech (TRTC), the largest publicly traded cannabis company in the U.S., with medical dispensaries in California and Nevada.
