ST. PAUL — State Rep. Nolan West, R-Blaine, issued the following statement regarding recent coverage of Gov. Tim Walz failing to name a leader for the state's Office of Cannabis Management, or even interview any candidates, in more than one year since his first selection abruptly resigned:
"The staff at OCM are competent, but they have an impossible task with a needlessly complex bill Democrats passed while in full control of state government," West said. "We have over 1,800 applicants left in limbo, who still don't know if they will even get a chance to start their new businesses. Gov. Walz is too busy campaigning to govern or provide Minnesotans and his own executive departments with the service they deserve.
“It has also been over a month since the license application window closed, but there is still no date for the lottery, despite my numerous requests. The only response to my inquiries was the lottery would happen in late September, but a date still has not been released.
"I warned the House majority of serious problems with its cannabis legislation and we put forward a variety of solutions to resolve the problems within the bill. There is no reason for the vetting of the license applications to take so long. The applicants only need to meet basic minimum standards rather than a scoring system.
"The interim director has performed admirably despite these needless hurdles from a poorly written law and an absent governor."
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