Washington state MJ regulator fired for conflict of interest

A marijuana licensing employee in Washington state is out of a job after leasing 25 acres of land to a cannabis cultivator planning to transform the site into a grow and processing facility.

Grant Bulski – who has been issuing marijuana business licenses for Washington’s Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) since 2012 – violated the agency’s ethics code forbidding employees from having a direct or indirect stake in the MJ industry, The Spokesman-Review reported. Bulski’s termination is effective June 9.

An LCB spokesperson told the newspaper Bulski began leasing land in October to Jeff Montgomery for $2,834 per month. Montgomery is a Hollywood producer who had gotten into the cannabis industry.

Records show that Bulski – who started monitoring liquor licenses for the LCB in 2006 – played no role in helping Montgomery obtain a marijuana business license, according to the newspaper.

The board started investigating the matter in April and suspended Montgomery’s application that month, according to The Spokesman-Review. Montgomery told the newspaper he has found new land for his grow and processing project.