CT Drug Control Director Steps Down Amid Cannabis Retaliation Scandal
Rodrick Marriott, longtime head of the Department of Consumer Protection’s Drug Control Division, has resigned just weeks after a state investigation faulted him for his role in an unauthorized inspection of a cannabis cultivator. His last day at the agency was September 2, ending a 17-year career.
Part of Public Records, FOIA and Transparency
By CT CannaTimes Editorial Board
A Sudden Departure
Rodrick Marriott, longtime head of the Department of Consumer Protection’s Drug Control Division, has resigned just weeks after a state investigation faulted him for his role in an unauthorized inspection of a cannabis cultivator. His last day at the agency was September 2, ending a 17-year career.
Marriott formally submitted his resignation letter on August 7, one day after appearing at a pre-disciplinary hearing where the maximum penalty under consideration was a five-day suspension. In his letter, Marriott made no mention of the scandal, simply thanking the agency for the opportunities provided during his tenure.
Full coverage here:
Fallout for the Agency
During the investigation, Marriott was stripped of cannabis oversight duties and those responsibilities were reassigned to a separate division led by a DCP attorney. This was a clear acknowledgment from DCP leadership that trust in Marriott’s division had been compromised.
In its public statements following his departure, DCP stressed that “everyone should feel safe and comfortable providing testimony at a public hearing without fear of retribution or retaliation” and that the agency has taken “several steps toward improving communication with the cannabis industry.”
Coverage via WSHU:
What Comes Next
While Marriott’s resignation may close one chapter, the damage to DCP’s credibility lingers. Operators remain wary of engaging openly with regulators, fearing that dissent could still trigger retaliation.
The department says it does “not anticipate any further issues of this nature,” but confidence in those assurances will depend on whether meaningful cultural change follows Marriott’s exit.
This story was originally published by Connecticut CannaTimes on Facebook on September 16, 2025 and was migrated to this website on October 16, 2026. The publication date above is the original date.
More in Public Records, FOIA and Transparency
The full investigation- DCP Faces October 26 Deadline on Testing Transparency and Patient Oversight PetitionOctober 8, 2026 · Patients & Testing
- Lamont Administration Worked on Tribal Compact for 20 Months; Industry Got 45 Minutes' NoticeOctober 2, 2026 · Regulators
- Connecticut Has Quietly Tested Hundreds of Cannabis Products. Now It Is Expanding Its Reference LabSeptember 23, 2026 · Patients & Testing
Related Stories
Inside the Retaliation Scandal at Connecticut's DCP
The scandal now engulfing Connecticut’s Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) is not an isolated mistake. It is the inevitable result of a toxic regulatory culture where power is abused, dissent is punished, and the cannabis industry is treated not as a partner but as an enemy.
SEC's Proposed E-Regulation: Lawmakers Were Warned About Exploitation, Then Allowed It
Editors Note: As we reviewed the record for this article, the number of contradictions became impossible to ignore. Lawmakers warned that shortening social equity protections would increase exploitation risk, then later approved that change.
SEC Moves to Cut the Social Equity Exit Rule From Seven Years to Three Through DCP E-Regulations
Connecticut lawmakers warned this would happen. They warned who it would benefit. They warned it would gut social equity. And now, despite those warnings being made on the record, the Social Equity Council has formally proposed the very change legislators said would invite buyouts and push equity owners out.
Lamont Administration Worked on Tribal Compact for 20 Months; Industry Got 45 Minutes' Notice
DCP records show the Governor’s Office was “primarily responsible for negotiating” an agreement that created a separately regulated tribal cannabis market connected directly to Connecticut’s existing industry.