COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio regulators made several data entry errors, failed to redact identifying information from applications and applied inconsistent standards while scoring 185 applications to grow medical marijuana, according to a blistering report from the state auditor's office released Thursday.
The audit also challenges the state's authority to issue two additional cultivator licenses earlier this year.
"The department didn't do a very good job launching this program," Auditor Dave Yost said in a news release. "It did not exercise due diligence to make sure Ohioans could have complete confidence in the process. The department's work was sloppy. Ohioans deserved better."
Yost's office began examining the scoring process after reports late last year that the department unknowingly hired a scoring consultant with a felony marijuana conviction. During the course of the review, auditors identified a security weakness that could have allowed scores or application materials to be changed by a department employee.
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