Should the Ohio Department of Commerce freeze and review the grading of Ohio’s lucrative medical marijuana licenses after it was revealed that one of the consultants handling the applications is a convicted drug dealer?
That’s the demand of a number of state and local officials after learning that Trevor C. Bozeman, one of 20 medical marijuana reviewers, has a felony drug conviction, according to cleveland.com. But the state says it will carry on.
The department hired Bozeman to help state employees score applications and decide who should receive cultivator licenses. But unbeknownst to the state when it hired him, Bozeman, owner of iCann Consulting, had pleaded guilty to manufacturing and possessing marijuana with intent to sell in 2005 in Pennsylvania. He was 20 at the time and was sentenced to probation, which he completed.
Last week, the state announced the 12 licenses for Level 1, the largest grow sites, — but in light of the Bozeman revelations, one of the failed applicants says he will challenge the process. Under state law, the marijuana grow businesses are supposed to be in operation by Sept. 8, 2018.
Stephanie Gostomski, a Commerce Department spokeswoman, said the department did not ask consultants to disclose criminal convictions or go through a background check. It does not plan to redo the process because of Bozeman’s convictions.
Ironically, the department does not allow people with felony drug convictions to apply for a cultivator license and applicants must go through a background check.
The department said that reviewers scored just some parts of the applications and they were not allowed to see the names of company owners or other confidential details. Bozeman and other reviewers are also slated to score applications for testing labs and product manufacturers as well.
But several Democratic and Republican elected officials said the state should halt and review its medical marijuana licensure program on the grounds that allowing a convicted drug felon to have a hand in grading the applications tainted the process. That’s their opinion. The editorial board roundtable gives its opinions below and we await yours in the comments.
Sharon Broussard, chief editorial writer, cleveland.com:
This sounds like sour grapes to me. Bozeman’s conviction is 12 years old, not just yesterday, and it’s unclear how his past drug dealing would impact his grading of would-be marijuana growers. More to the point, it sounds as though he has gone straight since then and built a company. Holding this ancient drug conviction against him seems cruel and pointless — and the same could be said about the barring of medical marijuana applicants who have old felony convictions.
Ted Didiun, editorial board member:
Well, who could possibly be surprised about this? And why should it bother anyone? Since the Ohio government is licensing a drug it once put people in jail for growing, why get all huffy about somebody who had a professional background in the stuff before the state decided it could make money off it, too. Sure, go ahead and freeze the licensing process — anything that delays this foolish venture into state-supported drug-pushing is good. But spare us the pontificating.
Thomas Suddes, editorial writer:
If the state awarded the contract in a proper manner, and if the contractor is performing as the contract requires, then the question isn’t a legal matter, it’s a question of appearances (i.e., politics). From the policy standpoint, there’s room for robust debate about Ohio’s snail-pace approach to marijuana availability. In comparison, gripes about who’s working for the contractor are irrelevant.
If the state had hired Mr. Bozeman with full knowledge of his background in the marijuana trade, it would be one thing. But the fact Ohio officials were caught flat-footed by this revelation is indication enough — beyond the political grandstanding over the matter — to conduct a full review of all the licenses Mr. Bozeman reviewed, and, further, to make a knowledgeable policy determination as to whether his continued employment is warranted.
credit:cleveland.com
