Alex of Weed Week reports
California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) chief deputy director Rasha Salama will resign at the end of the month.
The news, confirmed by the agency, follows a lawsuit filed this week alleging that Salama “severely reprimanded” a direct report, (the plaintiff) for escalating concerns about product safety to law enforcement. The DCC declined to comment.
Cannabis regulators in California and other states are face mounting questions about contaminants. The lawsuit also indicates the DCC has received anonymous tips and had meetings about the powerful synthetic opiod fentanyl being found in licensed product. It’s not clear that fentanyl has actually been found in any licensed product.
This comes against a backdrop of Gov. Newsom’s executive order banning intoxicating hemp-derived products in the interest of public safety. Newsom’s announcement, focuses on the dangers of unregulated cannabinoids in hemp, not contaminants (which I incorrectly wrote last week.)
