Michelle Reddish, who has served as chief operating officer of the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority for the past year, has been nominated to lead Rhode Island’s newly created cannabis agency.
The Senate Committee on Judiciary is scheduled to consider Reddish’s nomination to head the state’s Cannabis Office, the Rhode Island Current reported.
Gov. Dan McKee, a Democrat, nominated Reddish for the role, which pays $162,270 annually, according to the Current.
If approved, Reddish will oversee the administration of marijuana use and the commercial market in Rhode Island.
She would report directly to the state’s Cannabis Control Commission, a three-member panel that regulates and issues marijuana business licenses.
The commission was formed about a year ago.
Rhode Island legalized recreational marijuana in May 2022 and launched adult-use sales that December, providing first-mover advantage to existing medical marijuana dispensaries.
In the first full year of combined adult-use and medical marijuana retail, Rhode Island operators generated $105 million in sales.
Despite exceeding expectations, cultivators in Rhode Island have been pressuring local government to open more stores amid a glut of inventory.
