Minnesota is still without a permanent cannabis director more than two months after Gov. Tim Walz's first pick for the job resigned under scrutiny.
Walz first named cannabis entrepreneur Erin DuPree as director of Minnesota's new Office of Cannabis Management in late September, but she resigned a day after she was appointed amid reports that she sold illegal products at her hemp store.
The governor pledged afterward to hire a seasoned regulator for the job. Walz hasn't interviewed any candidates since, according to his public schedules. He said earlier this month that other positions are being filled in the Office of Cannabis Management but didn't share a timeline for hiring a director.
"We're looking, I think, nationally a little bit more to see how that goes," Walz said. Whoever leads the Office of Cannabis Management will oversee the creation and regulation of the state's recreational marijuana industry. That work is being led on an interim basis by state government veteran Charlene Briner, who's under contract with the state through Feb. 15, according to data obtained by the Star Tribune.
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