Tuesday, October 18, 2022

Weed Wars: Who is "Constipated"?

Does the medical marijuana program need some Ex-lax?  It's taking quite some time to get the program spun up at the Health Department as it lacks employees even as job applications pour into its inboxes.  The Health Department said it couldn't hire the necessary employees because the State Personnel Board was "constipated" with their applications.  However, the State Personnel Board said it might be the Health Department that needs a laxative. 

 The State Board of Health held its regular meeting October 12.  The subject of medical marijuana regulation came up for discussion as complaints have been filed against several growers.  Health Department officials said they can barely regulate the medical marijuana industry because they only have three staffers and no investigators. Mississippi Today reported: 

The Health Department is trying to fill 25 positions for its medical marijuana program, and has three investigators scheduled to start by Nov. 1. But Edney said the agency, along with others in state government, is facing a long lag time of several months in getting new hires “onboarded,” officially hired and on payroll. This is a problem for all positions, including nurses, and not just for medical marijuana, Health Department officials said. Edney said the agency is operating with a 47% job vacancy rate.

Perry earlier in the board meeting said the state Personnel Board is “constipated” in getting new hires in. Later, Edney said of the marijuana program, “I am struggling with a very immature program. It is now stuck in that constipation mode.” Article

Rest assured, the article got the attention of State Personnel Board Director Kelly Hardwick.  Mr. Hardwick did not take kindly to being blamed for the Health Department's inability to operate the medical marijuana program.  He fired back with a letter laden with facts Friday (The letter is posted below.).  Mr. Hardwick said: 

As a background, MSPB approved MSDH to hire additional personnel for the MMP in February 2021 using funds already appropriated. This was done in anticipation of medical marijuana legislation during the 2021 or 2022 legislative session. At that point, MSDH could have started hiring people who would be classified and compensated appropriately. Our postulation was correct, and in April 2022, the Governor signed legislation that established and appropriated money for an MMP. As stated in February 2021, MSPB stands ready to assist MSDH with implementing a personnel structure for an MMP if MSDH does not have the wherewithal to undertake this endeavor. At no point has this assistance been requested.

The article claims that MSDH is trying to hire 25 new positions for its medical marijuana program that it cannot fill due to MSPB and also claims that the agency and others face a "long lag time of several months in getting new hires 'onboarded."' Our data does not support those allegations....

The Executive Director was just getting warmed up as he proceeded to bury the Health Department with a flood of facts.  The State Personnel Board posted 361 jobs for the Health Department over the last five months.  Mr. Hardwick said a list of candidates is referred to the Health Department within three business days after the job closes.  No laxatives are needed, at least at the State Personnel Board.  Mr. Hardwick hammered the Health Department halfway through his letter: 

From the continued questioning of our agency's efforts, it does not appear that MSDH has made any effort to effectively recruit individuals responsible for implementing the MMP....

And when we do receive requests for hires in Employee Central from MSDH, they are reviewed on average within three business days.  Cumulatively, this means that, on average, MSPB completes its process from initiation to hire to being hired in 10 business days. This is substantially less than the public or private sector national average.

Ex-lax brownies, anyone? 

Note: Efforts to obtain comments from the Health Department were unsuccessful. 



16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dave is not here!

Anonymous said...

One would think that MSDH would have a warehouse full of Ex-lax available to them, but maybe all they have is Covid stuff.

Anonymous said...

State Personnel Board is clearly in need of a laxative because it - shown by this response - is full of crap.

Ask any, he'll ask all, state agencies about the failure of the Personnel Board to respond in a reasonable time on filling positions. They will all tell you the same thing that was said by the Board of Health.

Having positions to fill, having authority to fill them, having money appropriated pay the employees - having posted the job openings, conducted the interviews, and offering the job to the prospective employee who accepted ---- all to be held up for months and months, by the bureaucrat at the Personnel Board is not good governing. Or good management. Or good anything.

The Personnel board is headed by a failed lawyer who thinks conservatism is killing government jobs/positions. But when a new program (such as medical marijo) is started, it requires that employees be put in place to run it. Not clearing the hires for investigators is ridiculous. Forger not clearing the directors of the various divisions.

KF - dare you to ask among other state agency heads; poll them and see how many agree with Hardwick's response and how many agree with the Health folks on their experience.




Anonymous said...

Was in Florida over last week. It appears that old banks have been converted into drive thru Marijuana Dispensary's.

Sure someone will ask for a link:
https://www.miaminewtimes.com/marijuana/miami-medical-marijuana-dispensaries-curaleaf-drive-thru-dispensary-opens-near-doral-11131336

Krusatyr said...

Constipation text in The Fondren:

"Bring my shit, man, I'm sittin here an hour waitin, an I want that good shit."

Anonymous said...

From my experience the "Lists of Eligibles" you get from SPB are full of people you DO NOT WANT TO HIRE. Most of them look good on paper but when you interview them they have no language or writing skills at all. Many have no viable work experience at all. Many are a lawsuit waiting to happen.

Anonymous said...

I know a number of people who have expertise with marijuana. I can’t see why it would be any kind of problem to find qualified people.

Stoner said...

Would it be ok if I bring my bong to the interview as evidence of my experience with pot?

Anonymous said...

First off our great leaders wanted a new program up and running in 90 days. How long did the Gaming Commission get to be up and running? There are a lot more growers, cultivators, processors etc than casinos. Basically MDHS was given a grenade and it was just a matter of time before something exploded. Other states have been at it a year and still do not have a Medical cannibals program up and running. So point the finger at Blackwell and Yancey first since they are the ones that want to take credit for the program. Second the program was run by one person and a staff attorney that also had to oversee the agency in other legal matters. More employees were hired in the 90 days. Ask anyone in Human Resources for a state agency how easy it is to get things from the State Personnel Board. Nothing moves fast in any state government. For MDHS to have the program up and running in 90 days is light speed for the state. Plus to have only one do wrong out of however many growers there are in the program. Not to mention three employees having to review all the paperwork that is required for all the applications when would they have time to inspect every business? This all could have been prevented if the program had more time to get established before starting the program. Politicians should have limited it to a certain number of growers. But then they would not get as much campaign money and future income from getting in the business.

Anonymous said...

I enjoy the angst and whining of impatient "patients" who actually only want to giddy-up the "medical" phase to dive into legalized recreational mj that will presumably follow. Perhaps the state bureaucracy can make these unrequited dopers groan, whimper and beg for years.

Anonymous said...

Will we have the equivalent of Smith County Watermelons with the weed grown in our state? Will we import any? Wasted minds want to know.

Anonymous said...

MSDH is the most incompetent of all state agencies. I know that is saying a lot but after 6 years working there, I can tell you it is full of back-biting, back stabbers drunk with authority.
Just fully legalize it and remove MSDH from the equation.

Anonymous said...

I always imagine that these anti-cannabis Fudds are all local liquor store owners worried about the lie dwindling clientele. The boomer and GenX alcoholics have basically drunk themselves to death. Fewer millennials are picking up the habit than have quit. And most of Gen Z only wants to vape THC. They don’t even want to smoke or drink at all!

Anonymous said...

Should have been put under Andy Gibson and the Dept of Agriculture. Andy would getter done.

Anonymous said...

11:07 - clearly an idiot commenting. Andy fought tooth and nail, and hat, about being included in the language of the statute eventually passed. Ag was included originally - check the record. And check "The Hat's" fight against it. But it was nice of you to give him a shout-out, no matter how wrong you were in your statement.

Anonymous said...

Hardwick is almost as much of a narcissist as is Trump - for him to take exuberance at being told publically that the agency under his so-called leadership is akin to Mayor Lumumba getting upset when it is pointed out that he can't produce water on a regular basis but blaming it all on everybody else.

The Personnel Board is the worst service'agency' of state government, and when including ITS in the support groups that includes, it is a damning statement.

Yes, the list of 'qualified applicants' is a joke - but that's just a small part of the overall problem. When an agency posts job openings like the Dept of Health has over the past year in an attempt to hire the 200 nurses that they were 'instructed' to hire by the legislature, and the Department makes all the required moves to hire these people ----- but, can't because the one person at the Personnel Board that has to sign off on their eventual employment can't get to their paperwork for several months, they lose the potential hire.

This story can and is repeated over and over throughtout all state agencies. Every agency head, be they appointees of the Governor or of an independent board, will say the same thing.

Yes, the Dept of Health has a bitch about the output of the State Personnel Board, under the leadership (maybe should say head) of Hardwick is stopped up. A good laxitive in the form of reorganization and new head appointment would help cure the stoppage. And would save some trees; this is not the first several page diatribe that Hardwick has issued over the past few years when he his "leadership" has been questioned.


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