Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with additional quotes and a new statement regarding the relationship between the New Jersey Cannabis Industry Association and NJ Cannabis Insider.

A trade group for New Jersey’s cannabis industry has hired an outside consultant to investigate allegations of potential ethical “concerns” raised within its own ranks, NJ Advance Media has learned.

A three-member subcommittee from New Jersey Cannabis Industry Association sent a letter to its board Tuesday morning which said they were “aware of concerns regarding some of the Association’s operations," according to the letter obtained by NJ Advance Media.

“The members of the subcommittee determined that because of the working and personal relationships among the members of the subcommittee and the full Board, the best course of action was to commission a review of the factual allegations by an independent, outside professional to ensure a full and fair presentation of this information to the full board," the letter said.

Although the specific allegations are not mentioned in the letter, the issues raised range from “insider dealings, inappropriate disclosures and possible sexual indiscretions,” according to a source who is familiar with the allegations but not allowed to talk publicly.

The New Jersey Cannabis Industry Association recently became a partner promoting public events with NJ Cannabis Insider, a subscription-based publication produced by NJ Advance Media, the company that provides content to NJ.com website, The Star-Ledger and other affiliated newspapers. The Association and Cannabis Insider co-hosted a public gathering last Wednesday night in Cranford, and was scheduled to operate a conference in Edison on Oct. 2.

Enrique Lavin, the publisher of NJ Cannabis Insider, said his organization had decided Tuesday afternoon to end its event partnership with the NJCIA. Lavin said the list of panelists and speakers for the Oct. 2 event would be updated later Tuesday.

“We continue to be concerned by these allegations and are no longer working with the association to help promote our events,” Lavin said. “By doing this, the focus moving forward can be on the investigation and getting answers to the allegations and concerns that have been raised.”

Dara Servis, the association’s executive director, expressed disappointment that Cannabis Insider was severing ties with her organization.

“I am hopeful that at the conclusion of the investigation we can continue our partnership on future events and continue to advocate for our common goal - to bring safe and legal access to cannabis,” she said in a statement.

“We also respect their journalistic integrity and their need to sever ties with us, considering NJCI is owned by the Star-Ledger group,” Servis added.

Hours after the investigation was reported, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, D-Union, decided to pull out of the Oct .2 conference, his office said. He was scheduled to be a keynote speaker.

Earlier in the day, Servis said she “welcomed the investigation and any opportunity to protect the integrity of NJCIA, its members and the cannabis industry as a whole.”

The association’s subcommittee spent $7,500 to hire Andrew Botwin, “a highly regarded human resources professional, to interview the executive leadership of the Association, staff and board members, make factual findings, and recommend appropriate action and policies going forward to improve and protect the organization,” said the letter from Peter Barsoom, William Caruso and Paul Josephson.

“I’m very proud that when concerns are raised, this organization has taken them seriously and will investigate them thoroughly,” Josephson told NJ Advance Media.

The committee discovered the “concerns” as it met over the summer to discuss the “strengths and weaknesses of the current organization, and recognized the need for clearer lines of authority, responsibility, and accountability at the staff level,” the letter said.

Board President Hugh O’Beirne declined to comment on the investigation “out of the respect for those people involved and out of respect for the process.” He said he thought the investigation “should happen very quickly.”

Barsoom, reached by telephone, said the consultant will conduct a review of the association’s “operations and effectiveness,” and declined to make further comment.

Caruso, who also signed the letter to the board, did not respond to a call and an email.

The decision to hire a management consultant to investigate the allegations comes two weeks after the association’s Vice-President, Kelley Crosson resigned. Her Sept. 10 resignation letter, obtained by NJ Advance Media, does not mention any turmoil within the organization as a reason for her departure.

Crosson could not immediately be reached for comment.

“As challenging and rewarding as the last 10 years of working toward the end of cannabis prohibition have been, my main focus has always revolved around the cannabis plant itself and the multitude of benefits that cannabis can bring to so many. And as a fortunate side effect, my lifelong work in horticulture and design happily paralleled my work in cannabis,” Crosson’s resignation letter to the association’s board said.

“Those two worlds have moved much closer together recently, and I have new opportunities that will take more of my time than I currently have to give, so I have decided to resign from the NJCIA, effective immediately,” the letter said.

The association lists more than 80 members on its website, including prominent law firms in New Jersey, dispensary operators and national cannabis companies, all looking to be among the first to grab a piece of the legal cannabis market once the law has changed.

New Jersey has had a medicinal marijuana program that began serving patients nearly seven years ago.

Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.