Detroit Free Press
The executive director of Michigan’s Cannabis Regulatory Agency is leaving the agency he helped launch and is getting a new position within the state’s Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.
Andrew Brisbo, who became the head of the new state agency in 2019, will take over as the director of the state’s Bureau of Construction Codes later next month, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office said Tuesday.
“We are proud of the incredible team at the Cannabis Regulatory Agency for establishing Michigan as one of the top cannabis markets in the country,” Bobby Leddy, a spokesperson for Whitmer, said in an emailed statement.
The Detroit News first reported the news of Brisbo’s departure from the CRA.
Under Brisbo’s leadership, Michigan’s recreational cannabis industry rapidly expanded. In June, sales of recreational marijuana totaled nearly $166 million in Michigan, compared with $107 million a year prior.
In his statement, Leddy pointed to creation of more than 20,000 jobs in the cannabis industry and the generation of $500 million in tax revenue.
The industry also has faced growing pains in recent months. While sales and cannabis businesses in the state have continued to increase, the price of marijuana flower has dropped, pinching profits for many companies, with some laying off staff or closing their operations entirely.
Meanwhile, a massive recall in November of products tested by Viridis Laboratories has left lingering questions about the safety of Michigan’s regulated cannabis industry.
Leddy didn’t respond to a question about the circumstances of Brisbo’s departure.
Leddy said the governor’s office will now begin looking to fill the position.
