ST. PAUL 鈥� Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan announced Monday, Jan. 6, that Charlene Briner will step down as director of the Office of Cannabis Management. General Counsel Eric Taubel will serve as director for the time being.
Briner鈥檚 resignation comes after which was intended for this month but is now slated for early summer. The office was created in August 2023 following the Minnesota Legislature legalizing recreational marijuana and is responsible for overseeing Minnesota鈥檚 new regulated cannabis market.
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鈥淐harlene Briner has gotten Minnesota鈥檚 emerging cannabis industry off the ground in a safe and responsible way,鈥� Walz said in the release. 鈥淚t鈥檚 no easy task to build a regulatory framework around an entirely new industry from scratch, but under Charlene鈥檚 leadership, Minnesota laid the foundation for a successful marketplace for years to come.鈥�
Taubel served as the Office of Cannabis Management鈥檚 general counsel for the last year and oversaw the drafting of cannabis regulations and tribal compact negotiations, according to the release. He will assume the interim director role after Briner鈥檚 last day on Jan. 17.
鈥淚 am incredibly proud of the team we鈥檝e built and the milestones met in our ongoing work to stand up this new office and implement Minnesota鈥檚 cannabis law,鈥� Briner said in the release. 鈥淚 am confident the talented public servants continuing their important work will do so in a way that exemplifies OCM鈥檚 commitment to launch a safe, accessible, and equitable cannabis industry.鈥�
The Trust Project
