MINNEAPOLIS — Just days after Erin DuPree resigned as the director of the Office of Cannabis Management, Gov. Tim Walz took responsibility for the appointment while speaking with reporters on Tuesday, saying "it ends up on me."
On Thursday, Sept. 21, Walz named DuPree the state's first director of the department, but she stepped aside the next day after KARE 11's partners MPR News and APM Reports reported that her Apple Valley hemp business "sold products that exceeded state limits on THC potency, owed money to former associates and accumulated tens of thousands of dollars in tax liens."
Walz spoke about the decision following a press conference Tuesday at the University of Minnesota, saying his office is looking into how the details about DuPree's background were missed.
"We're going back and looking at the whole process, but at the end of the day, it ends up on me," said Walz. "We got this one wrong."
Walz said with it being a new position, he was initially looking for someone with experience in the cannabis industry but says he's now shifted his focus to finding a regulatory leader.
"That was probably where the focus should have been at the beginning," Walz admitted. "I've learned that lesson now, and that's what we'll do."
In an interview Friday, Republican Senator Zach Duckworth criticized the Walz administration's hiring process.
"This is something that's so serious and so important, that we have to do our due diligence," Duckworth said, "not only regarding the law but those that we're going to also trust to enact it."
The governor said Tuesday that there is no timeline to find the next appointee, but added that he understands the importance of finding the right person for the position.
"There are a lot of folks who wanted to see legalization (of marijuana), but there's a lot of folks that are deeply concerned about if you don't get this right, are you making sure the wrong people don't have their hands in this," Walz said. "My take on this is that we need to move with a sense of urgency, but I am more concerned with... getting the right people on the right seat on the bus."
DuPree was slated to begin Oct. 2, however, Charlene Briner will now lead the office in the interim until a permanent replacement is found.
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