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Minnesota House <br />COTTAGE GROVE, Minn. (KMSP) - <br />State Rep. Dan Schoen, DFL-Cottage Grove, announced Tuesday that he's taking an unpaid leave of <br />absence fiom his job as a Cottage Grove police officer to be a paid consultant for LeafLine Labs, one <br />of two inedical cannabis companies in the state. <br />"Pm not doing government affairs or lobbying, this is all about my background in law enforcement," he <br />said. <br />Schoen, a co-sponsor of last year's medical marijuana bill, was an advocate for the recent legalization <br />in Minnesota. When state off'icials were evaluating applications from vendors to manufacture medical <br />marijuana, Schoen said he was approached to help LeafLine Labs find a Cottage Grove site if it were to <br />be selected. <br />"They looked at other cities around the state and just like any other business, I advocated with the city <br />to take a look here [Cottage Grove] and then they worked with the city," he said. <br />Schoen said his background as a police officer and previous experience as a parainedic makes him <br />suited for the role, and also highlighted his position as a legislator. <br />"Because of the role I have as a legislator, I know the issue very we11, and I know it inside out, and I <br />think that would be beneficial to anybody in the business," Schoen said. <br />In his new position, Schoen will help open other clinics, design security procedures, plan transportation <br />routes, and train staff. LeafLine has now tapped two people from the Capitol -- former health <br />department official Manny Munson-Regala was named CEO last month. But Schoen said it's just a <br />coincidence. <br />"This is medicine," Schoen said. "This is about taking care of people that are sick." <br />There will be 8 clinics in Minnesota where medical marijuana is dispensed. Minnesota Medical <br />Solutions and LeafLine Labs will operate four each. <br />Source: Star Tribune <br />