Former Medical Marijuana Executives Charged

Two former executives at a company that operates a medical marijuana dispensary in Johnson City are accused of illegally smuggling marijuana-based drugs into New York.

Minnesota Public Radio News first reported Dr. Laura Bultman and Ronald Owens of Minnesota Medical Solutions, which owns Vireo, face felony charges for allegedly collaborating to ship marijuana oil into New York before the state allowed the launch of the medical program last January.

The Associated Press says Dr. Bultman’s lawyer called the allegations unfounded.

A spokesman with Vireo released this statement to WNBF News:
“When we became aware of the possibility that one or more individuals may have acted in ways contrary to the laws of the state and to our own policies and procedures, we acted immediately to investigate the allegations, communicate with our regulators and take appropriate action.  We take seriously our legal obligations, our regulatory responsibilities and our own standards and procedures in this area. We will cooperate with the agencies investigating this situation even as we maintain our laser focus on providing patients, who suffer from life-threatening and debilitating diseases like cancer and ALS, with best-in-class medical cannabis products and compassionate care.”