Christy Bjornson on Regulation & Compliance in the Alcohol, Tobacco & Cannabis Sectors
March 30, 2025
Christy Bjornson was named chief of the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Division in October 2023 and of the Tobacco Control Division in February 2024. She previously was an attorney supervisor in the Office of Field Audit of the state Department of Finance & Administration.
Bjornson earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Arkansas in Conway and her law degree from the Bowen School of Law in Little Rock.
What is the key to balancing the public’s regulatory interests with helping businesses genuinely interested in compliance?
The overwhelming majority of our permit holders are genuinely interested in compliance. The key is collaboration and teamwork. We have to work together in partnership with our regulated industries to make sure our regulations are fair, well thought out, and actually seek to correct or prevent identified problems — not play “gotcha.”
As the medical marijuana industry matures, what are the most common compliance problems you’ve seen?
Because of the eagerness of our medical marijuana permitholders to remain in compliance, we do not have a ton of compliance problems. We’ve had a few serious issues with expired products or theft by employees, but those were handled swiftly and decided fairly. This industry is new and modern, so we have tried to be as flexible as possible in addressing concerns with our facilities. Of course, we have seen inventory tracking issues, but overwhelmingly we work with the facilities to correct issues as they come and prevent them in the future.
What is the most common violation that the ABC sees from retailers? And what can be done to stop it?
Sales to minors. This one is pretty simple. We have to make sure that alcohol is sold in a responsible and legal manner. Children and teens are going to push the limits, so we must be vigilant to check IDs and train servers on fake IDs. The best thing a retailer can do is train, train, train your servers! This violation is almost always avoidable.
What was your biggest career mistake and what did you learn from it?
There have been times where I am trying to take on way too much at one time. When you try to shove too many things down the pipeline, you’ll get a clog. I have learned to prioritize and work carefully as much as possible. It seems to prevent fires — and hurt feelings or frustrations further down the line.
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