Minnesota MMJ Company Hires Lawmaker Ally

LeafLine Labs, one of two companies licensed to produce and sell medical cannabis in Minnesota, has hired a current lawmaker who co-sponsored the state’s MMJ bill.

Rep. Dan Schoen is joining LeafLine as a security consultant on a contract basis. He is taking an unpaid leave of absence through December from his post as a local policeman in the town of Cottage Grove, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

This isn’t the first time LeafLine has courted controversy by hiring public officials involved with the MMJ system.

Last month, the company hired a former assistant commissioner at the state Department of Health to be its new CEO. The move raised questions of ethical conduct, as the new CEO played a role in LeafLine winning a medical cannabis business license.

Schoen also helped LeafLine, the AP reported. When the company was looking for locations across the state, he introduced company executives to local officials in four cities in his district.

When asked whether he thinks he would have been offered the job from LeafLine if not for his co-sponsorship of the law and his willingness to introduce company representatives around, Schoen replied to the AP, “I don’t know… It’s hard to say.”