The director of the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission has resigned less than a month before the Dec. 8 deadline for dispensaries to begin operation, according to a Baltimore Sun report. Patrick Jameson, a former state trooper who took over the role in April 2016, will remain at the post until the end of the month.
According to Commissioner Brian Lopez, the commissioners did not request Jameson’s resignation.
In a statement, Jameson, the second executive director to resign from the commission in as many years, said, “the time has come for me to pursue other interests.” Jameson was named the new chairman by Gov. Larry Hogan while the state was in the review process. That process is the subject of an ongoing lawsuit by two would-be medical cannabis companies who accuse the commission of acting arbitrarily in denying them cultivation licenses.
“It has been an honor to help sick people and launch a new lucrative industry in Maryland,” Jameson said in the report.
Lopez indicated that 40 of more than 100 potential dispensaries are in the final stages of approvals and that the commission believes their “tone…is changing.” More than 95 dispensaries must be online by Dec. 8 or they could lose their opportunity to start their business.