Axel Bernabe is Assistant Counsel to Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, overseeing legal and policy deliberations in the health portfolio. As part of his responsibilities, he oversees the implementation of all initiatives related to medical, hemp, and adult-use cannabis. Over the last four years he has supervised the expansion of the medical program and the launch of the State’s hemp program. Axel is also responsible for driving the administration’s proposal for comprehensive regulation of all segments of the cannabis economy, including the creation of a new Office of Cannabis Management that would permit the implementation of an adult-use program.