The Cannabis Advisory board spent most of Tuesday’s brief meeting in executive session, emerging to announce that it had selected the next head of the Office of Cannabis Regulation. 

Hannah Carty, former deputy commissioner of the Department of Agriculture, was appointed in 2021 as OCR’s executive director. Her resignation, effective March 8, prompted the board to begin a search for her replacement, which chair Catherine Kean announced has been successful. 

“It pleases me to let the public know that we have selected someone to serve as our new executive director for the Office of Cannabis Regulations,” Ms. Kean said during Tuesday’s meeting. However, she was not yet able to present this person to the public.  “Prior to revealing the person’s identity, we have to confirm the individual’s availability and conduct a background check. So that will be forthcoming,” the board chair noted. 

A quick replacement for Ms. Carty was seen as essential to the ongoing formalization of a territorial framework for legal cannabis sales and consumption, as OCR currently has no staff complement since her departure. 

Tuesday’s meeting also provided an opportunity for the board to remind members of the public that the comment window on draft rules and regulations will close on March 18. Ms. Kean encouraged those with opinions on the regulations to submit their comments via the OCR website before next Monday.