New York Gov. Kathy Hochul showed two of the state’s top cannabis regulators the door this week, suggesting the state’s adult-use program has continued to fall short of its potential due to poor leadership.
Hochul called for the resignations of Felicia A.B. Reid, who has served as the Office of Cannabis Management’s (OCM) acting executive director since June 2024, and OCM Deputy Counsel James Rogers, as first reported by The Capitol Pressroom on Dec. 8.
These forced resignations come as OCM’s leadership has remained in the hot seat following its handling of a “rent-a-license” scheme in which the office filed multiple charges in October against Omnium Canna, a processor and distributor that the office accused of renting space in its licensed facility to non-licensed entities.
Unable to properly trace products without fully integrating track-and-track provider Metrc’s software and technology into the state’s adult-use program, the OCM ordered a statewide recall of Omnium-linked products and, as a result of its investigation, sought license revocation, debarment and fines for Omnium.
“Too often, the Office of Cannabis Management has stood in the way of the market realizing its potential, including most recently in the case of a pending compliance action that it has had to withdraw,” Hochul told The Capitol Pressroom. “As a result, I directed my office to take action, including requesting the resignation of the acting executive director. That resignation has been accepted and is effective immediately.”
OCM Chief Administrative Officer Susan Filburn, who has also been with the office since June 2024, will fill Reid’s vacancy, according to the media outlet.
Reid and the OCM were also at the center of attention in July 2025, when they informed 152 businesses that their dispensaries were located too close to schools because their office had erred in approving their locations based on its own erroneous guidance from 2022. A lawyer said he had alerted the OCM to the problem in March 2024.
Despite New York lawmakers introducing a legislative fix to grandfather in at least some of those retailers – those that are already open for business – 12 businesses sued the state over the proximity issue, and a Supreme Court of New York judge granted a preliminary injunction to block the OCM’s directives.
This threat to licensed dispensaries comes nearly three years after the first adult-use sales began in the state; however, the program struggled to get off its feet, with fewer than 25 dispensaries opening statewide for nearly the entirety of that first year, because the OCM was marred with lawsuits over its focus on prioritizing social equity operators.
After $155 million in adult-use sales in 2023 and $882 million in 2024, New York’s adult-use program picked up momentum in 2025 with more than 500 dispensaries now open and a projected $1.7 billion in sales for this year, according to the OCM.
“New York’s cannabis market holds enormous potential,” Hochul said. “It creates jobs, generates revenue and builds prosperity in communities that were left out of the economic mainstream for decades. Realizing that potential requires strong leadership, a deep understanding of the regulatory framework, and a steadfast commitment to the people of this state.”
Reid’s eviction is the second instance of the OCM’s top leader resigning after a rift with Hochul.
Chris Alexander, whom Hochul appointed as the OCM’s first executive director, resigned in May 2024 after the governor criticized the office’s “slow and chaotic” program rollout.
Filburn, who will now take the reins as the OCM’s third chief, has a career spanning more than 20 years in state government, including four years as the deputy commissioner of Employment Security at the Department of Labor. She also served as an aviation officer in the U.S. Army.
Hochul told The Capitol Pressroom she remains devoted to the success of the state’s cannabis program.
“My administration remains committed to fostering the cannabis market for consumers, business owners and impacted communities across New York State,” she said. “We will work expeditiously to restore accountability, transparency and confidence in OCM.”
