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Arts and Entertainment

L.A. Mayor's Office Sends Out Weed-Related Press Release At 4:20 P.M.

By  Julia Wick
Published Aug 9, 2017 11:00 PM
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On Wednesday afternoon, Mayor Eric Garcetti appointed Cat Packer (formerly of Drug Policy Alliance) as executive director of the city's newly-established Los Angeles Department of Cannabis Regulation, which will oversee the regulation and taxation of cannabis in Los Angeles. The department itself will be governed by a five-member Cannabis Regulation Commission.

The appointment was announced, as these things are, with a press release. What made this press release special, however, was the timing. The press release was sent out at exactly 4:20 p.m. "We sent the release when it was ready to be issued," a representative from the Mayor's office told LAist.

God bless Los Angeles.

Packer will be the new Department of Cannabis Regulation's inaugural executive director, and will be responsible for launching the department and leading implementation of the new cannabis regulations being developed by the City Council, City Attorney and Department of City Planning, according to the statement from the mayor's office.

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“Taxing and regulating legal cannabis in Los Angeles will be a complex process — we need someone leading the effort who understands and can navigate those nuances,” Garcetti said. “Cat’s experience makes her an excellent fit for this new role. I am confident that her work will help us implement new regulations in a way that is fair and equitable for all of our communities, respects our neighborhoods and raises valuable new revenue for City services.”

[h/t: Alissa Walker]

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