Times Union
Chris Alexander, the executive director of the state Office of Cannabis Management, has informed Gov. Kathy Hochul that he will leave his job in two weeks rather than stay through Sept. 1 and assist with transitioning the embattled agency to new leadership.
Hochul had announced May 10 that Alexander was asked to step down following a more than month-long review of his handling of the troubled rollout of New York’s retail marijuana industry.
THE LETTER
The governor issued a statement Saturday thanking Alexander for his work establishing the cannabis office and also helping craft the legislation that legalized marijuana and created the regulatory framework for a retail marijuana industry.
“Under Mr. Alexander’s leadership, New York took its first steps toward developing a robust legal market that elevates those disproportionately impacted by cannabis prohibition, and as OCM transitions into its next phase, we look forward to continuing the work of building the strongest, most equitable industry in the nation,” Hochul said. “That has and always will be our mission, because it is what New Yorkers expect and deserve.”
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