Marijuana Business Magazine

same kind of success that we’ve seen in Colorado, we must make sure proper staffing are in place.” Whiteman added that Wana is prepared to take on even more staffers. “We will be hiring at least a dozen new staff members in the next quarter, many of whom will be supporting out-of-state initiatives,” she noted. DEA Shakeup Chuck Rosenberg officially left his job as acting administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration on Oct. 1, a post he held since 2015. Rosenberg didn’t give a reason for his departure. The New York Times reported he "had become convinced that President Trump had lit- tle respect for the law." For the marijuana industry, it could mean the end of a short-lived policy to grant more research permits to scientists who study cannabis – a policy supported by Rosenberg but opposed by his boss, Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Former New York Senator Joins MPP The Marijuana Policy Project hired former Republican Senator Alfonse D’Amato to serve as a senior adviser for New York. The former New York senator served from 1981 to 1999. At MPP, D’Amato initially will be tasked with strengthening New York’s medical marijuana program. D’Amato said he also could end up working on recreational cannabis legaliza- tion in the state. The advocacy group also added commu- nity organizer Landon Dais to serve as politi- cal director in the Empire State. Massachusetts Five Massachusetts finalized the makeup of its Cannabis Control Commission (CCC), and four of the appointees to the five-member panel voted against recreational marijuana legalization. Former Bain & Company executive Stephen Hoffman was chosen to chair the regulatory agency, a post with a five-year term. The other members are: • Britte McBride , a former assistant state attorney general. • Kay Doyle , deputy general counsel at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Stephen Hoffman Kay Doyle Britte McBride November / December 2017 • Marijuana Business Magazine • 177