New York’s chief equity officer at the state Office of Cannabis Management submitted his formal resignation, effective Nov. 27, despite being exonerated by an inspector general investigation which found he was innocent of charges that he retaliated against a marijuana company.
Damian Fagon was put on administrative leave from his position in March, after cannabis processor Jenny Argie filed a lawsuit, asserting that Fagon had retaliated against her company by pushing for a product recall of her goods after she criticized the OCM to Syracuse.com last year. The lawsuit was withdrawn in July, according to court records.
In a statement Friday, OCM Acting Executive Director Felicia Reid said that Fagon had been cleared of wrongdoing by the state inspector general’s office, but he chose to move on from the department nonetheless.
“Mr. Fagon will be on leave, and will focus solely on transitioning his equity portfolio to OCM leadership. This announcement comes after conclusion of the NYS Inspector General investigation, which resulted in a determination that the allegations at issue for that investigation were unsubstantiated,” Reid said in an emailed statement.
“I know that Mr. Fagon has done tremendous work leading OCM’s equity efforts, setting up OCM to take the most innovative and equity-driven approach to the development of New York’s cannabis industry. I am thankful to him for his time and talent. I wish him well and great success in his future endeavors,” Reid said.
It’s not clear yet if or when the OCM will hire a new social equity czar to fill Fagon’s shoes; Reid herself is an interim appointment by Gov. Kathy Hochul. The OCM is conducting a national search to replace former executive director Chris Alexander, who also resigned from the agency in May.
Reached Friday by Green Market Report, Fagon declined to comment on the reason for his departure.
But former OCM spokesman Aaron Ghitelman – who also quit the agency earlier this year – said it was “wonderful to see these claims formally be described as unsubstantiated.”
“Everybody who saw what was happening and was paying attention knew these were unsubstantiated claims, pushed by actors who desperately wanted to force two young Black men – Chris Alexander and Damian Fagon – out of their jobs,” Ghitelman said. “They succeeded in their efforts, but they did not succeed in dragging Damian’s name through the dirt.”
Ghitelman also noted that Fagon’s job – chief equity officer – was a post created by the 2021 Marihuana Regulation and Taxation Act, which legalized adult-use marijuana, meaning that at some point the OCM will hire a replacement.
[[{“value”:”Damian Fagon was put on administrative leave from his position in March after the OCM received allegations of retaliation.
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