Jul 12, 2020

Missouri investigating fake medical marijuana certifications

Posted Jul 12, 2020 12:00 AM

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The state of Missouri is investigating a St. Louis company that it says approved 600 fake medical marijuana certifications.

State investigators say Lou Moynihan, 33, knew or participated in the fraudulent activity that likely occurred through telemedicine visits when the company, WeedCerts, launched last year.

In a Facebook post by Moynihan on June 22, days after the state announced its investigation, WeedCerts said it had alerted the state to the potential fraud in May, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The Facebook post denied any “fraudulent” activity, but in a subsequent unsigned post, WeedCerts said it got “too fast and loose” with the certification process and that it was “not so innocent.”

The state said someone improperly used Dr. Allison Medlin's name to certify patients. Investigators had no indication the doctor knew someone was using her information to sign up patients, according to a state spokeswoman.

Medlin said she only learned someone was forging her signature when a WeedCerts patient called asking for her medical records.

"When I learned of this, I immediately notified authorities who initiated an investigation. I look forward to a timely resolution,” Medlin said in a statement.

Moynihan did not respond to numerous requests by the Post-Dispatch for comment. No company by the name of “WeedCerts” appears to be registered with the Missouri secretary of state.

Hundreds of patients are now scrambling to recertify and the integrity of Missouri’s medial marijuana patient-approval process is in question.