“I no longer have confidence in my ability to do my job and lead this team effectively under current circumstances.”
By Rosalind Adams, THE CITY
This tale used to be firstly published via THE CITY. Sign up to get the most recent New York City news dropped at you each and every morning.
The head of the state hashish company resigned on Friday following weeks of public turmoil between the company and Governor Kathy Hochul’s (D) place of work.
“I have been reluctant to write this email due to the deep connection and commitment I have to this work and to this Team. And while I planned to serve out the remainder of my term, I no longer have confidence in my ability to do my job and lead this team effectively under current circumstances,” Chris Alexander wrote in an e-mail received via THE CITY.
Hochul appointed Alexander to the placement in September 2021 because the inaugural head of the Office of Cannabis Management.
“I am grateful for Chris Alexander’s work, first in developing and securing the passage of the Marihuana Regulation and Taxation Act and then in launching the Office of Cannabis Management,” Hochul mentioned in a observation to THE CITY.
“As OCM transitions into its next phase, we look forward to continuing the world of building the strongest, most equitable industry in the nation,” the observation endured.
The Office of Cannabis Management didn’t right away reply to a request for remark.
In January, Hochul referred to as the rollout of the felony marketplace a “disaster” and ordered a 30-day assessment of the company via the Office of General Services. Earlier this month, she released a report following the assessment that criticized the green management of the Office of Cannabis Management and pointed to inefficiencies within the licensing procedure, as properly sparse provider for candidates looking forward to determinations on their licenses.
In a press convention, Hochul mentioned it used to be time for the company to take a “new direction,” noting that Alexander would step down on the finish of his time period in September.
As Hochul introduced the news, Alexander used to be nonetheless presiding over a Cannabis Control Board assembly in Albany. During the general public feedback a part of the assembly, some got here to his protection because the news broke.
“Chris, I don’t want you to step down, nobody wants you to step down,” Matthew Robinson, a retail licensee, advised the meeting attendees. “We support you 100 percent,” he mentioned to applause.
Two weeks later, Alexander resigned, announcing “it has been the honor of a lifetime to lead this group of the most dedicated public servants that I have ever encountered,” in his e-mail.
The Cannabis Regulators of Color Coalition, a countrywide advocacy group, rejected the Office of General Services’ document findings and criticized Hochul for now not reinstating Alexander as the manager director of the company. In a observation, the coalition referred to as the document “biased and inflammatory” and mentioned the verdict not to reinstate Alexander “poses a grave threat to the progress and integrity of equitable cannabis regulation in New York State.”
The Office of Cannabis Management wrote its personal reaction to the Office of General Services’ document, criticizing the company for now not offering a replica of the document and pointed to various “factual misstatements and significant omissions,” in keeping with a confidential draft of the document received via THE CITY. The company shared the reaction with legislators.
The opposing experiences put the tensions between the Governor’s place of work and the Office of Cannabis Management in public view and had been additional underscored via Alexander’s determination to surrender extra right away than supposed.
“It would be disingenuous for me to not acknowledge how difficult the last several months have been,” Alexander wrote in his resignation e-mail.
“There is so much left to do. But I have the utmost confidence in this Team and in you all to stay focused on the mission and to keep driving things forward.”
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