December 12, 2025
Cannabis Chief of NY Resigns Amid Call From Governor Following Major Flop In Investigation
Reid is the second leader to be removed from leading the New York State Office of Cannabis Management.
Felicia A.B. Reid, who led the New York State Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), abruptly resigned Dec. 8 following the flop of a shaky enforcement case against a Long Island-based marijuana company, Omnium Health, The New York Times reports.
The resignation was handed down the day before the trial was scheduled to take place as OCM withdrew charges against Omnium, in addition to an accompanying order to recall products made at the company’s facilities being lifted.
As Reid was responsible for the state’s blueprint on building a legal market for cannabis, Gov. Kathy Hochul said state regulators continued to experience roadblocks under Reid’s leadership.
“Too often, the Office of Cannabis Management has stood in the way of the market realizing its potential, including most recently in the case of a pending compliance action that it has had to withdraw,” the governor said.
Hochul requested for Reid, who led efforts since June 2024, and the head of a new investigative arm to resign under the pretense of the case unraveling, according to MJ Biz Daily.
Omnium allegedly smuggled illicit products from out-of-state companies like Stiiizy, Grön and mfused in order to make their own products under its license. Officials were looking to revoke Omnium’s licenses, ban the company from the state, and force owners to pay millions of dollars in fines.
OCM investigators found THC isolate at Omnium’s facilities that lacked evidence it was produced by the state’s regulated system.
The agency’s chief administrative officer, Susan Filburn, will fill in for Reid on an interim basis, until a permanent replacement is named. Consumer advocacy groups like The Empire State Green Standard Alliance called for clarity on the case and Reid’s resignation as they once praised the agency for taking action. “New York’s cannabis consumers deserve stability, transparency, and consistent enforcement,” Herb Barbot, the group’s chairman and the cannabis agency’s operations director, said in a statement.
Since New York legalized recreational cannabis in 2021, the move has created a $1.8 billion market for the Empire State as lawmakers fought to make room for local businesses to compete against larger corporations partnering with national brands. However, critics called out the lack of regulations that stopped honest operators from being successful.
Growing controversy for the agency doesn’t help the narrative. Reid is the second leader to be removed from the post. Her predecessor, Chris Alexander, resigned in May 2024 amid an eye-opening audit conducted by Hochul’s office labeled the launch of adult-use marijuana sales as a “disaster.”
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