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Erin DuPree has never worked in government but says her experience with startup businesses makes her well-suited for the role.
A cannabis industry entrepreneur who hasn’t worked in government before will be the inaugural director of Minnesota’s new cannabis agency, Gov. Tim Walz announced Thursday.
Erin DuPree, a longtime consultant for start-up businesses who founded Loonacy Cannabis Co. in Apple Valley, will lead the Office of Cannabis Management. She will be charged with filling out the office’s staff and overseeing the creation of Minnesota’s recreational marijuana market.
“It really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I’m really excited to be able to serve my state and my community with the knowledge that I have,” DuPree said in an interview. “I have a unique skillset as an entrepreneur and specializing really in startup businesses. And that’s kind of what this is.”
She will start as director on Oct. 2, according to the governor’s office, and her salary will be $151,505.
Walz praised DuPree as a “proven and effective leader” in a statement.
”With direct experience in Minnesota’s hemp and cannabis industry and over 20 years of success in launching, managing, and growing businesses and organizations, Erin DuPree is an outstanding choice to lead the Office of Cannabis Management,” Walz said.
DuPree said she will close her hemp-derived cannabis business, Loonacy, this weekend before she starts as director. Minnesota’s marijuana law prohibits the Office of Cannabis Management director from holding a direct or indirect stake in a cannabis business. [Read More @ The Minneapolis Star Tribune]
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