Boehner: Federal government should not interfere in recreational marijuana decisions

Former Speaker John BoehnerJohn Andrew BoehnerGOP senator says he 'regularly' considers leaving Republican Party Republicans mull new punishments for dissident lawmakers Renewed talk of reviving earmarks down the road MORE (R-Ohio) said that he believes the federal government should not interfere with state decisions on recreational marijuana use.

"If the states decide they want to do this, this is up to them, but I am not going to be an advocate on what the states should and should not do," BoehnerJohn Andrew BoehnerGOP senator says he 'regularly' considers leaving Republican Party Republicans mull new punishments for dissident lawmakers Renewed talk of reviving earmarks down the road MORE told a Cincinnati TV station on Monday.  "That's clearly up to them."

The Republican lawmaker was once adamant about his opposition to legalizing marijuana, but said he reversed his position since leaving Congress in 2015.

"When you look at kids with epilepsy ... they're taking the non-psychotic part of this plant and reducing the number of seizures they have," Boehner told the outlet.

Medical marijuana is also very beneficial to veterans, he added.

“Even with chronic pain, or veterans with [post-traumatic stress disorder] PTSD, they ought to be able to have access to medical marijuana because we believe it actually helps them,” Boehner said.

States with medical marijuana use see a decrease in opioid addictions by 25 percent, Boehner told the TV station.

In April, he joined the board of a cannabis corporation to promote the use of medical marijuana.

He has been lobbying to have marijuana declassified from a Schedule 1 drug to help further research efforts. 

Sens. Elizabeth WarrenElizabeth Ann WarrenTop NY Dem: Unelected White House 'cabal' seems to be working against Trump Booker placing staffers in Iowa: report We must provide sustained funding proportional to the severity of the opioid epidemic MORE (D-Mass.) and Cory GardnerCory Scott GardnerCruz gets help from Senate GOP in face of serious challenge from O’Rourke Centrist Dems defend tough tactics at Kavanaugh hearing Colorado Dem questions White House on 'intentional effort to mislead the American people' on marijuana MORE (R-Colo.) introduced legislation last week that would allow states to regulate marijuana without federal interference.

President TrumpDonald John TrumpOakland Raiders's Marshawn Lynch sits during national anthem, then scores touchdown Trump declares state of emergency in Carolinas ahead of Hurricane Florence Ex-NFL player tears into Nike: Kaepernick ad ‘like 9/11 and Pearl Harbor’ MORE’s attorney general, Jeff SessionsJefferson (Jeff) Beauregard SessionsThe Hill's Morning Report — Sponsored by Better Medicare Alliance — How will Obama impact the midterms? Pence suggests there is legal basis for investigating identity of anonymous op-ed writer Pence: Trump a ‘tough,’ ‘demanding’ president who ‘wants things yesterday’ MORE, is a vocal critic of marijuana legalization, however, and rolled back an Obama-era policy in January that gave states freedom to manage their own policies regarding recreational use.