Long-besieged supporters of legal marijuana welcome the change. “My theory is that Republicans are looking for a ‘safe landing zone’ on the issue of legalization, and states’ rights is it,” says Taylor West, deputy director of the National Cannabis Industry Association in Denver. “Nothing is certain, but I’m cautiously optimistic about where this is heading.”

West adds that Republicans are trying to straddle a tricky divide. They don’t want to alienate the older voters who make up the Republican base and generally oppose marijuana. But neither do they want to come across as the scolding authoritarians of old, because they’re desperate to improve their popularity with millennials, a group that strongly favors legalization.

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-10-27/many-republican-presidential-candidates-are-secretly-okay-with-legal-pot