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TORONTO — Canadian-listed marijuana companies with operations south of the border are applauding Wednesday’s announcement that the former Republican speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives is getting into the weed game.

In the most dramatic Road to Damascus cannabis moment yet, John Boehner, a staunchly conservative ex-politician and erstwhile opponent of legalization, said he’s joining the advisory board of private U.S. cannabis company Acreage Holdings.

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“It put a smile on my face this morning,” said Beth Stavola, chief operating officer and president of U.S. operations for MPX Bioceuticals Corp., a Toronto-headquartered company with operations in Nevada, Arizona and Massachusetts.

“With someone as conservative as John Boehner jumping in, it’s just such a positive thing for the industry.”

Former Massachusetts governor and 2016 Libertarian Party vice-presidential candidate Bill Weld is also joining the board of Acreage, a large vertically integrated marijuana company operating in 11 states.