Lawmakers Probe Cannabis Oversight Office Over Withheld Report

18 February 2025

The Office of Cannabis Policy (OCP) is under investigation by the state’s Government Oversight Committee after lawmakers raised concerns about transparency and potential conflicts of interest. The committee voted unanimously to investigate the agency following revelations that an annual cannabis report was intentionally withheld from legislators during policy negotiations. The report's contents remain undisclosed, but officials have criticized the decision to keep it from lawmakers, calling it inappropriate.

Additionally, the committee is examining a potential conflict of interest involving John Hudak, the director of the OCP. Hudak is accused of failing to recuse himself while negotiating a seed-to-sale tracking contract with Metrc, a company whose chief strategy officer, Lewis Koski, was a former business partner. Metrc previously received state contracts worth $630,000 between 2019 and 2022 and secured another $350,000 contract under Hudak’s leadership in 2023. Lawmakers argue that the failure to disclose these ties undermines public trust in the agency’s oversight of Maine’s cannabis industry.

More details in the podcast: