The state's marijuana czar will lead the newly consolidated division to oversee both alcohol and cannabis regulation, the Montana Department of Revenue said Monday.

Kristan Barbour will head up the Cannabis and Alcohol Regulation Division (CARD). Barbour was tapped in 2021 to lead the Cannabis Control Division, created by the Legislature that year to serve as the regulating body over Montana's newly legalized recreational marijuana industry.

The announcement comes after both Montana's alcohol and cannabis industries got vocal with their concerns that the revenue department was merging the regulatory offices. The alcohol trade has been overseen by the same office for roughly 50 years, while cannabis providers in a far younger industry have long yearned for a more consistent regulatory env

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