The head of one of the companies that failed to get one of Ohio's large marijuana growing licenses says the state hired a convicted drug dealer to play a key role in the program.
Jimmy Gould is one of the backers of the failed 2015 ballot issue to legalize marijuana. Gould says , which the state hired to score applicants for growing licenses, has a conviction for possessing and intending to traffic drugs.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not OK to have agreed to pay a convicted drug dealer $150,000 for this,鈥� Gould said.
Gould is calling on for an investigation into the way vendors and licensees are chosen. In a written statement, the Ohio Department of Commerce, which oversees the program, says all consulting companies met the standards provided within their contracts and adds anyone who didn鈥檛 receive a license have the right to appeal the decision.
