Three members will be joining the Commission to continue its important work as we work towards finalizing regulations on social consumption and other topics.
By Bhaamati Borkhetaria, CommonWealth Beacon
Massachusetts legislators are considering a revamp of the Cannabis Control Commission. However, there is no date set for the appointment of new members and the commission has two vacant seats.
Since last month, the commission is down to just three members. In May, Nurys Camargo vacated her post as commissioner—leaving the commission understaffed as the agency works on regulations to bring social consumption to state.
Deborah Goldberg suspended Shannon O’Brien from her position as the chairperson of the board in September 2023. She did so because she believed O’Brien had made “racially insensitive, ethnically offensive, and culturally inappropriate statements.” O’Brien’s firing occurred in September 2024. O’Brien was the subject of a public controversy that brought to light the internal conflicts at the agency.
A spokesperson for the treasurer—who is responsible for appointing the chair—told CommonWealth Beacon that there is no update on when Goldberg will appoint a new chair to the commission. It is required by law that the Treasurer, along with the Governor and Attorney General, fills the vacant seat of Camargo. The three appointment authorities have said they will coordinate together to fill the vacant seat left by Camargo, but refused to answer questions regarding a timeline.
In order for a motion to be passed, the law requires that three commissioners agree. There are only three commissioners remaining, and there’s a greater chance of deadlock as all must agree.
The Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy, a House committee of lawmakers in the House, voted this week for a cannabis bill omnibus that would reformat the commission to a three member body. The bill, if it becomes law, would require the governor to appoint all of the commissioners, with two serving as quorum. The legislation comes as an effort to make the commission—which has been criticized for failing to collect hundreds of thousands in licensing fees, having a toxic work environment and for general dysfunction—more accountable.
Commission working on finalizing long-awaited regulation for cannabis social consumption. In December of last year, the agency said that the goal for the publication was mid-2025. Bruce Stebbins (the commission’s chair, and one remaining member) said during the public meeting of May 12 that the time frame for the regulation review is still “to be decided” and deferred a discussion on the timeline of regulations to “the following meeting.”
Stebbins, who is the chairman of the Social Consumption Commission, said the group will return “tentatively” to social consumption regulation on the 17th and 18th June.
Stebbins wrote in an email that “the important work of this Commission will continue as we work towards finalizing social consumption regulation alongside working on issues.” Next meeting of the commission is on June 12 and agenda has not been published yet.
In 2016, the ballot question that legalized marijuana for recreational use in Massachusetts also included a social consumption option. The commission is slow in establishing the regulations that will support social consumption.
Cannabis Control Commission is plagued by internal disputes and deadlocked voting. Goldberg had suspended O’Brien, but without assigning an acting chair. The remaining commissioners could not agree on who should fill the position, and finally appointed Ava Callender Concepcion. Goldberg then appointed Stebbins acting chair. He has been in that role ever since.
The cannabis industry has been frustrated by the gridlock that continues to exist as important regulatory changes are delayed.
Ryan Dominguez said his group had urged those in charge of appointing the members for the Massachusetts Cannabis Coalition to temporarily fill vacant positions on the Commission.
The cannabis industry wants to see the Cannabis Commission make a number of changes, including streamlining processes for cannabis employees who wish to enter the industry. They also want to have the Social Consumption Regulations finalized.
Dominguez said, “We all thought that the social consumption was complete by now.”
Dominguez stated that he hopes the authorities appointing for Camargo’s vacant seat and for the Chair will not have to wait until the Legislature passes their bill.
This bill is currently in the House Ways and Means Committee. It would increase the maximum number of retail licences that a company could own, from three to six. Additionally, it would raise limits on cannabis purchases and possession, and take action against hemp-derived products. The bill may be moving forward in the House but it is not yet clear whether the Senate supports the measure.
It is worrying that we may have to wait a very long time before getting the results. [the appointing authorities] Dominguez said that the Senate and House will decide the process they want to follow. The commission is still needed to take action on the social consumption regulation and other issues. We can only move forward if we have all the commissioners.
This article first appeared on CommonWealth Beacon and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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Mike Latimer is the photographer.
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