Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) Director Charlene Briner resigned on Monday. Eric Taubel, OCM general counsel, will serve as interim director. In a statement, Gov. Tim Walz (D) said Briner “has gotten Minnesota’s emerging cannabis industry off the ground in a safe and responsible way” and Taubel “will ensure continued growth and success as we work to make Minnesota competitive in this new industry.”
“It’s no easy task to build a regulatory framework around an entirely new industry from scratch, but under Charlene’s leadership, Minnesota laid the foundation for a successful marketplace for years to come. I am excited to welcome Eric Taubel as the new interim director. Eric is a proven, effective leader who brings legal expertise and a deep understating of state government and regulatory affairs.” — Walz in a press release
During her time as interim director, Briner oversaw the implementation of Minnesota’s cannabis legislation, including: establishing a new state office that now employs more than 100 staff; conducting an extensive rulemaking process to define regulations for the commercial cannabis industry, which will be finalized by the end of the first quarter of the year; developing compliance and enforcement programs for the hemp-derived cannabinoid market; and facilitating submission and review of more than 1,800 business license applications.
Taubel will officially take over on January 17.
Briner’s resignation comes less than a month after OCM abandoned its planned social equity licensing plan amid lawsuits, opting instead for general licensing sometime this year.
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