Shemia Fagan, the secretary of state for Oregon, reportedly resigned from her position on Tuesday after it was discovered she was working as a consultant for a marijuana business that state auditors were inspecting.
In a news statement, Democrat Fagan stated that her resignation will take effect on May 8.
She reportedly received $10,000 per month in consulting fees from one of the biggest marijuana dispensaries in the state, according to local media.
At the same time, the franchise and the cannabis industry were being audited by the Oregon Department of Revenue and the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission. This led to her resignation.
Fagan acknowledged that she had agreed to work as a consultant for La Mota, one of the state’s biggest chains of marijuana dispensaries.
La Mota is facing serious legal issues; the Oregon Department of Revenue and the IRS have filed liens against the owners for more than $7 million in unpaid taxes.
More than 30 lawsuits for unpaid invoices and other claims have been filed against the owners and the businesses they manage in state court.
The chain’s proprietors contributed significantly to her campaign as well as the campaigns of other Democrats in the state.
In addition to the audit, Fagan is in charge of the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission, which controls the cannabis sector.
Furthermore, a report auditing the OLCC’s regulation of cannabis was due to be released last week by the state’s Audits Division, which Fagan also directs; Fagan had recused herself from that investigation.
According to a different investigation released on Monday, Fagan received a $10,000 monthly consulting fee along with $30,000 incentives for each license she assisted La Mota in obtaining outside of Oregon.
This amount, which comes to roughly $120,000, is far higher than her state income, which is only $77,000 per year.
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