Christopher Phillip Kimball has been appointed director of Florida’s Workplace of Medical Marijuana Use.
He was appointed the state’s MMJ chief by newly reelected Gov. Ron DeSantis, Information Service of Florida reported.
Kimball succeeds Chris Ferguson, who led the state’s medical hashish program for 3 years.
Ferguson “has transitioned into the function of statewide providers administrator for county well being methods” on the Florida well being division, an company spokesperson instructed Information Service of Florida.
Among the many duties awaiting Kimball is the issuance of as much as eight new medical marijuana dispensary licenses by June 2024, based on Florida Politics.
Kimball doesn’t seem to have any cannabis-specific expertise.
He’s a veteran of the Navy, the place he served within the Choose Advocate Basic (JAG) Corps for practically 14 years.
In line with Information Service of Florida, Kimball served as a “well being care coverage advisor” since leaving the Navy and in addition has labored within the state lawyer normal’s workplace.
He not too long ago was admitted to The Florida Bar.
With 475 dispensaries and greater than $1 billion price of gross sales by means of July, Florida is taken into account the nation’s largest medical-only hashish market.
Marijuana multistate operator Trulieve Hashish, which relies in Florida, operates one-fourth of these dispensaries.