Advisers Include Former NYS Homeland Security Official Michael Balboni and Retired DEA Special Agent and INTERPOL’s Director of Criminal Intelligence
(Long Island, NY) Empire State Compassionate Care (ESCC), owned and operated by the principals of the largest medical marijuana provider in New Jersey and one of the largest in Colorado, today announced the two experienced and distinguished law enforcement experts who will direct the company’s safety, security and compliance operations:
- Hon. Michael Balboni, Esq., former NYS head of homeland security
Michael Balboni’s distinguished career has included oversight of homeland security and law enforcement for the State of New York, healthcare and service as a lawmaker. As the former Deputy Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Advisor under two Governors of New York, Mr. Balbonioversaw agencies including the State Police, Office of Homeland Security, Division of Military and Naval Affairs, and State Emergency Management Office. In that role, he managed an agency of over 60,000 employees and a $4 billion budget. Previously, while representing Nassau County in the New York State Senate, Mr. Balboni was appointed the first Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee following the horrific attacks of September 11th. Balboni also served on transition teams for both Governor Andrew Cuomo and President Obama.
- Paul Higdon, 27-year DEA veteran and former INTERPOL Criminal Intelligence Director
Paul Higdon is a distinguished federal law enforcement and intelligence veteran. His 27-year career with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and its predecessor agency, Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (BNDD), included a rise from Special Agent to heading the agency’s Office of Inspections to being appointed the DEA’s Deputy Assistant Administrator in Charge of Foreign Operations (responsible for overseeing and directing the operations of 70 DEA offices in 51 countries). After serving as Special Agent in Charge of a joint federal, state, and local drug enforcement task force, he worked closely with international agencies to identify and eliminate the infamous “French Connection.” After his DEA service, Mr. Higdon served as Director of the Criminal Intelligence Directorate at INTERPOL, where he was subordinate only to the Secretary General. He also oversees safety, security, and compliance at Garden State Dispensary, New Jersey’s largest medical marijuana cultivator and dispensary operated by the same principals as ESCC.
“I am proud to join the Empire State Compassionate Care team and help bring their years of experience safely and responsibly offering medical marijuana in other jurisdictions to New York,” said Michael Balboni. “Their track record of success, professionalism and security is unmatched in the industry.”
“During nearly three decades at the DEA, I had the opportunity to direct the operations of 70 agency offices in 51 countries around the world and, while heading the agency’s Office of Inspections, ensured that all DEA field offices and personnel followed proper agency policy and procedures,” said Paul Higdon. “I am thrilled to bring my compliance and federal law enforcement experience to this team’s long record of results as we work to safely and securely offer relief to New York patients suffering from serious debilitating conditions.” Mr. Higdon will also serve as a director of ESCC, as he does at Garden State Dispensary in New Jersey.
“Operating a successful dispensary in a clinically-oriented medical marijuana program takes compassion and technical expertise – but it also requires a steadfast commitment to security, safety, and strict regulatory compliance,” said Dr. Jordan Josephson, a principal of ESCC and its Medical Director. “Michael and Paul together bring decades of security and law enforcement experience to the table.”
Besides Mr. Higdon and Jordan S. Josephson, MD, who is an internationally renowned Johns Hopkins fellowship-trained and Board certified surgeon and clinical researcher, ESCC’s other directors include David and Michael Weisser, who are founders and operators of New Jersey’s largest medical marijuana distributor and one of Colorado’s largest dispensary chains, and Raj Mukherji, a lawyer, New Jersey legislator, and experienced healthcare and I.T. entrepreneur.
The same team also founded Garden State Dispensary (GSD), a nonprofit that produces and dispenses nearly 70% of the medical marijuana in New Jersey’s acclaimed pharmaceutical-grade medical model, and is among the leading producers in Colorado. GSD’s application for licensure was rated by the State of New Jersey as the highest scoring submission of all applicants in that state’s competitive and highly scrutinized selection process that awarded only six permits. The team’s ability to adhere to best practices in safety, security, and regulatory compliance was bolstered by their equally impressive security team in New Jersey, where GSD’s advisory board members have included a retired Presiding Judge of three divisions of the Superior Court, a retired Captain and Deputy Troop Commander of the New Jersey State Police, and a former federal prosecutor. In addition to Mr. Higdon, GSD also employs a full-time in-house security officer, who is a retired Sergeant of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.
