During the meeting, commission member Sam Delgado, a former Verizon executive and retired Marine Corps Reserve Combat Communications Officer, was elected as the group’s vice chair.
“I will strive to ensure that this commission runs and operates with the same level of professionalism, diligence and commitment that we expect from our industry operators,” Delgado said, who then recalled a story about the time he was arrested in 1975 for marijuana possession in New York.
“When I think about what led me to accept this position on the Cannabis Regulatory Commission, this incident from 46 years ago was very much on my mind,” Delgado continued. “I did not ask or lobby for this job, but when Speaker Craig Coughlin told me he was nominating me for a spot on the commission, I thought I could offer leadership, business experience, diversity and a historical perspective on how much we have progressed since 1975.”
Additionally during the meeting, the Cannabis Regulatory Commission officially took authority over the state’s existing medical cannabis industry – authority formerly held by the New Jersey Department of Health (DOH).
Prior to this transfer of power, the regulation and enforcement of activities related to medical cannabis were done by the Division of Medical Marijuana within the DOH.