A Washington, D.C.-based marijuana legalization advocacy group on Wednesday announced that it has hired as a senior adviser, former U.S. senator from New York Alfonse D’Amato, a Republican once known for his conservative “law and order” views.

The Marijuana Policy Project, which seeks to end the marijuana prohibition, announced the launch of a New York affiliate of its organization as an effort to make changes to the state’s fledging medical marijuana program.