Corruption of the cannabis license in New Mexico

The New Mexico Department of Health could soon be investigated for corrupt practices and favoritism after coming under fire for tampering with the licensing system a few days before it was stripped of its regulatory powers over cannabis.

Last-minute licensing has challenged the entire operation of the department for all the years she has been in charge. Some have claimed that this may not be a stand-alone event and insisted that it came to light that the authority of the program had been changed.

Issuing licenses without notice

When the state opens new positions in the cannabis business, a number of interested people will be announced to apply.

The New Mexico Department of Health violated approved procedures by failing to fully inform interested parties of the license available. The department demonstrated favoritism by allowing only one company to enter the race and win the license without dissenting votes. The Agency’s last minute events call for an in-depth investigation into its affairs.

The license granted to GH LLC, Albuquerque, came days before the Department of Health turned over the mantle of the state’s medical cannabis program (MCP) to the new cannabis control department.

The new division was formed a few weeks after New Mexico lawmakers legalized recreational cannabis.

The last-minute license is the first license the Ministry of Health has issued in six years. For the time being, it is certain that the department opened a short and announced application phase in June, after which the license was granted to the selected favorites.

Santa Fe New Mexican reported that the President and CEO of New Mexico’s Top Organics-Ultra Health expressed disappointment in an interview with their reporters. Duke Rodriguez, who runs the state’s largest medical cannabis company, says the new licensing process that began at the end of the Department of Health’s reign sparked nothing but suspicion and endless questions.

Duke added that everyone in the industry raises their eyebrows at the news. He insisted that there are significant numbers of people with integrity who have invested their money, effort, time, and other necessary resources in obtaining licenses for their business, unaware that people who are not half that have invested in securing licenses via the express lane.

Further details on the license granted

This health department may not be able to sweep this matter under the rug with the large public it appears to be attracting.

According to reports, the published online application gave June 28 as the deadline just five days after the application was uploaded to the health department’s website. The notification was posted under the heading “Instructions for Use for Medical Cannabis Licensed Nonprofits”.

The service has failed to officially notify interested applicants that applications can be submitted for examination by the selection board.

Willie Ford, the general manager of Reybold Greenleaf & Associates, criticized the health department, noting that he thought it was all a dirty business. The chief executive of one of the respected cannabis business consultancies in New Mexico said it seemed like someone somewhere making it rain for someone else.

Additional documents obtained as part of a public application show that GH LLC filed a 731-page application on June 25, just two days after the application instructions were uploaded to the website.

The Albuquerque-based group applied for a not-for-profit license to manufacture medical cannabis. Two days after receiving their application, on June 27, Dominick Zurlo and Billy Jimenez, the Director of the Medical Cannabis Program (MCP) and the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Health, respectively, visited GH LLC’s Albuquerque manufacturing facility for inspection. Less than twenty-four hours later, the Legacy Producer License was granted to GH LLC by the Health Department. The cannabis company also said a fee of $ 10,000 for that license.

Comment from the health department

The New Mexico Department of Health has responded to some of the questions it has been asked over the past few weeks regarding the last minute license.

Baylee Rawson, the department’s appointed spokeswoman, replied in an email that the department kept posting announcements through its official website. She went on to say that the site is frequently visited by those in the cannabis industry, from medical cannabis license holders to the patients and others involved in the operation of the industry.

In the email, Rawson stated that the website is one of the preliminary ways that information and updates about the medical cannabis program will be published. According to her, the website contains information such as meeting announcements, training materials, patient statistics, and other important reports and documents.

Rawson added that the division has been trying for several months to license additional cannabis companies to provide various affordable drugs to patients. She claims that the department had a heavy workload and service needs during the tight application window, which resulted in them having to work through the weekend.

It’s not fair to the public!

Larry Love, a popular medical marijuana attorney who also hosts and hosts the Santa Fe medical marijuana radio show, said the whole matter was not fair to the public. He added that he is cordial to several people who would have applied for a license if the application process had been properly announced by the health department.

The whole travesty became even more hurtful when GH LLC founder Vance Dugger commented in a short interview that his company was treading the right channels and posting an application like everyone else.

last words

As Duke Rodriguez rightly said, GH LLC’s Legacy License can be described as the “mack daddy of all new Mexican cannabis licenses.”

While many require investigation, the majority remain hopeful that the new cannabis control department will follow due process in issuing cannabis business licenses.

There should be no room for preference in the medical cannabis program, even in the newly formed recreational industry.

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