Candace Gingrich, who is married to state Rep. Kelly Cassidy — the lead House sponsor of a massive marijuana legalization measure signed into law last month — is joining a Florida-based cannabis company.
Gingrich, who spent 23 years working for the Human Rights Campaign, will serve as vice president and head of business development for Revolution Florida, a sister company to Illinois-based Revolution Enterprises.
Gingrich, a sibling of former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, will also serve as the company’s ambassador to the LGBTQ community.
But Revolution, and Cassidy, D-Chicago, insist there are no ethical violations.
Cassidy said Candace Gingrich was hired after the marijuana legislation passed in late May. And Candace Gingrich will not have a financial or voting interest in any Illinois-based business license that might be issued to Revolution under the new law for two years, the company said in a release. Candace Gingrich’s business development work will also focus on non-Illinois markets.
The company makes a variety of cannabis products, including food, beverages, topicals and pet products. The company is also expanding to Arkansas.
Candace Gingrich, whose preferred pronoun is “they,” plans to establish LGBTQ-focused medical cannabis treatment centers and increase economic opportunities for LGBTQ people in the sector, Revolution said.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker last month signed into law the marijuana legalization measure. While there are giant pieces of criminal justice and social equity reforms attached to the measure — including giving a second chance to thousands of people convicted of marijuana possession — at its most basic level, the bill will allow Illinois residents over 21 to buy cannabis from licensed dispensaries as soon as Jan. 1.
While sponsors have been working on legalization for years, efforts were accelerated with the governor’s support. During debate on the House floor in late June, Cassidy said she had worked on marijuana reform for six years and on the specific measure for more than two years.
New conflict of interest provisions were added to the marijuana measure just before the Illinois Senate passed it, which bans lawmakers and their family members, as well as state employees from being able to get a cannabis business license for two years.
The conflict of interest ban was added after it was reported that state Sen. Patricia Van Pelt, D-Chicago, was involved in marketing and investment seminars and leading a company that intended to obtain license to grow and sell marijuana. Van Pelt was removed as a sponsor of the bill on May 15.
The Sun-Times reported that Van Pelt and her involvement in the business is being investigated by the Illinois Secretary of State’s office. And while Van Pelt told the Sun-Times that she wouldn’t be involved in shaping the legalization bill, she did not initially commit to abstaining from votes on the measure. Van Pelt was not present during the Senate vote.
