MedMen Enterprises – a publicly-traded cannabis company that owns and operates 19 licensed facilities in cannabis cultivation, manufacturing and retail – has been exiled from the ranks of the New York Medical Cannabis Industry Association (NYMCIA).

This is according to a spokesman from the NYMCIA, who divulged the details during an interview with Marijuana Business Daily. The date on which MedMen was expelled has not been disclosed.

“(MedMen) didn’t resign, but then we threw them out,” said the spokesman, who wanted to remain anonymous. “They are no longer affiliated with the NYMCIA. They are no longer part of the association.”

However, MedMen claims it has not been informed of the news by the organization.

Who is the NYMCIA?

The New York Medical Cannabis Industry Association (NYMCIA) is an organization dedicated to developing, regulating and expanding access to medicinal cannabis. The association represents almost 2,000 members, businesses and cannabis professionals. Aside from MedMen, they include Columbia Care, Etain, PharmaCann, The Botanist, Acreage NY and Vireo Health.

Spokesman for MedMen, Daniel Yi, contacted MJBizDaily via email to say that the company had not been instructed to withdraw its listing from the NYMCIA, nor had the company been told to relinquish its membership.

“We have not submitted any letter of resignation nor have we received any notice from the association that we are no longer a member. As far as we are concerned, we remain in the association,” wrote Yi.

MedMen CEO accused of making racial and sexist slurs

MedMen should have been prepared for its expulsion from the NYMCIA. After all, the organization allegedly asked the company to resign from the association in February amidst the lawsuit filed by former Chief Financial Officer James Parker.

Parker accused the CEO of MedMen, Adam Bierman, of making racist and sexist comments. He claimed that Bierman treated the company as a “piggy bank” and acted with disregard for the company’s shareholders.

“MedMen’s CEO Adam Bierman is alleged to have made racist, sexist and homophobic comments targeting African-Americans, women and members of the LGBT community,” the NYMCIA wrote in a letter to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Based on recent reports, the NYMCIA said that it had intended to oust MedMen in the event that the cannabis company didn’t voluntarily forfeit its membership.

The news comes as a shock for many, due to the fact that MedMen is one of just 10 companies in New York to possess a medical cannabis business license. The company first entered the market by means of an acquisition in January 2017.