Maryland has named its new medical marijuana program director, who will have to manage a flood of applications for business licenses in a state with a potentially large MMJ market.
Patrick Jameson, a former state trooper and unsuccessful political candidate, started Monday as executive director of the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission, the Washington Post reported.
The commission initially received 1,081 applications, but it reportedly persuaded businesses that sent multiple applications to withdraw some.
The state agency is expected to award licenses this summer, including up to 94 for dispensaries and 15 for growers. Growers also are allowed to operate dispensaries. The first product will likely be available in 2017, the Post reported.
Jameson replaces Hannah Byron, who left in January.
Jameson was a Maryland State Police trooper between 1987 and 1999 in the special operations and white collar crime divisions. He then worked for more than a decade in the private sector, including a stint as a homeland security director for technology giant Oracle.
In 2010, Jameson ran unsuccessfully for county sheriff as a Republican in Anne Arundel County. His platform included eliminating drugs, the Post reported.
