Dear John Boehner,

My daughter, Sophie, one of the many people who has suffered because of your influence

Dear Mr. Boehner,

My first response to your recent "evolution" toward supporting the legalization of marijuana was two words strung together. The first sounds like truck and the second like foo. I'm aspiring to the elevation of language, though, so I will refrain from using epithets, however justified. When I recovered from seeing your picture (dated from 2015, and I frankly would have preferred never seeing your face again) above an article titled John Boehner's Marijuana Reversal, I learned that you had used Twitter to announce your startling "change of heart" regarding the legalization of marijuana. Here's your Tweet:

I’m joining the board of #AcreageHoldings because my thinking on cannabis has evolved. I’m convinced de-scheduling the drug is needed so we can do research, help our veterans, and reverse the opioid epidemic ravaging our communities. @AcreageCannabis

My second response was a physical one, a stomach-clenching, heart-pounding, limb quivering somatic blow-out that had everything to do with rage. My rage. I could have been the Bodhissatva of rage. A Bodhissatva is a being who is capable of reaching nirvana but delays doing so out of compassion for other suffering human beings. As the Bodhissatva of Rage, I am thinking of the grotesque numbers of people arrested for simple marijuana possession, the majority of whom were persons of color. You know the statistics, so I won't include them. I am also thinking of the legion of people, including children like my own, that have suffered and continue to suffer from debilitating diseases that can be treated successfully with cannabis. I'm thinking of the legion of children, in particular, with seizure disorders, who live in states stymied by federal law or who do not have access to the medicine that will alleviate their children's suffering and even save their lives.

I know there are some out there who are encouraged by your "change of heart," but as the Bodhissatva of Rage I am repelled and horrified. You worked incredibly hard during your entire career as an elected official in our government and one of the most powerful senators to block any kind of marijuana drug reform. You knew all the statistics, listened to and read all of the appeals. I appealed to you personally during my days as a cannabis medicine advocate. You rebuffed all those appeals, ignored the statistics, persevered in obstruction and helped to destroy lives and perpetuate some of the most vile racist laws and practices in our country.

One of your buddies had back pain alleviated by marijuana, leading you to see the light. I guess the tens of thousands of appeals from mothers of children with cancer, with autism and with seizures weren't enough. You evidently are also appalled by the numbers of people incarcerated in prisons for simple marijuana possession. You turned a blind eye to literally generations of young men of color for how many years, Mr. Boehner, before Acreage Holdings, an investment company with an enormous footprint in cannabis, brought you on? While you were in Congress, more than 420,000 people were arrested for marijuana possession, the majority of them persons of color. You knew that. How much money do you stand to make now in this new evolved venture?

The wheels of commerce are running beautifully, even as I type. Marijuana stocks are rising rapidly. So much money to be made. Pharmaceutical companies are rushing to seize the whole pie, pushing out those of us who have paved the way. Your evolution is disgusting, Mr. Boehner.

Truck foo.

With no due respect,

Elizabeth Aquino