WARREN, Ark. – The department of health estimates 30,000 Arkansans will start applying for medical marijuana identification cards at the end of June.

A former law enforcement officer will be among them.

“You’ve always been told, ‘It’s bad. It’s illegal. Bust ’em,'” said Kevin Hoffman. “And I don’t believe that now.”

From his time at the Drew County Sheriff’s Department to the Jefferson County Jail, Hoffman has seen more in for marijuana than really anything else.

“That’s a problem,” he said. “Why marijuana is in the same class federally as narcotics, I don’t understand that.”

Hoffman has also seen how different drugs affect people in different ways. He said many take 30 to 40 years off a person’s life in one year, while only one doesn’t.

“I don’t see any difference in them now than when they were younger,” he said.

Hoffman’s change of heart didn’t happen overnight. It started with his throat cancer diagnosis, continued with the loss of his 14-year-old daughter to a heart attack from medicine she taking and culminated with the effect her death had on him, including PTSD and depression.

“After you’ve been through that, you can see where I’m coming from,” he said.

Hoffman plans to apply for a medical marijuana identification card since he falls under several of the qualifying conditions.

“It’s gonna help,” he said. “I’ve tried it.”

After years of irregular sleep patterns and bouts of anger, Hoffman said marijuana made him feel like a new man.

“I don’t do it now because I can’t get it legally,” he said. “And I’m not going to do something that’s illegal.”

Hoffman is sticking to his law enforcement roots, counting down the days until he can use something he was bred to hate, a drug he never imagined could be a cure.

“It’s gonna help, maybe to the point to where I won’t even need it,” he said.

After his throat cancer diagnosis due to years of smoking cigarettes, Hoffman would now even go so far as to support the legalization of recreational marijuana and ban the use of tobacco.