
Agency chair: “Repeated budget reductions have constrained our ability to deliver necessary regulatory work in a timely manner.”
The Massachusetts legislature’s relationship with the Cannabis Control Commission is that of a wealthy divorced parent who never wanted the adopted child in the first place, yet sporadically insists on micromanaging that kid’s life, for better or worse, while holding the purse strings.
Massachusetts legislators vs. the Cannabis Control Commission
There are many twists and highlights to the current tension between the CCC and Beacon Hill leaders, but the short version is that in late 2023, with drama swirling around then-suspended Chair Shannon O’Brien, state Sen. Michael Moore publicized a letter that his office sent to the chairs of the Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy “requesting an oversight hearing to bring better transparency and accountability to the agency.”
Last June, that plotline aligned with the position of the Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General, which sent a letter to Beacon Hill leaders urging them to “take immediate action to statutorily authorize the appointment of, and appoint, a receiver with the authority to manage the day-to-day operations of the CCC,” among other things.
Lawmakers passed on an opportunity to fully rein in the embattled agency, but they’re still keeping a close eye on the commission. Last October, the joint cannabis committee held a hearing in which stakeholders from every corner of the industry were invited to tee off on the agency.
Cannabis agency changes tone in holiday letter to Massachusetts lawmakers
Through those aforementioned battles and hearings, the CCC responded to criticisms being leveled against them—sometimes defensively, and in at least one instance, clumsily. But in a letter dated Dec. 26, 2024, acting CCC Chair Bruce Stebbins took a significantly different approach. The tone is still rosy and steers clear of too much detailed critical agency introspection, but it’s also more of an olive branch than a bludgeon or shield.
“The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (Commission) remains dedicated to maintaining and building upon our historic collaboration with the Legislature, and I am grateful for this opportunity to provide context to our regulatory role,” Stebbins wrote.
The acting chair outlined the mandates his colleagues carried out in 2024, then got to the meat of things—“budget constraints.” He wrote, “While the Commission contributes substantially to the Commonwealth’s revenues, repeated budget reductions have constrained our ability to deliver necessary regulatory work in a timely manner. The cost of regulatory work, including compliance inspections, product retesting, and public education campaigns continues to rise, particularly as new legislative mandates expand our responsibilities.”
Stebbins went on to address “governance and accountability”—including “finalizing a durable charter to formalize clear roles and processes between appointees and staff”—and to note how the CCC addressed “concerns raised at [the aforementioned] legislative hearings.”
“At our most recent monthly meeting, the Commission reviewed a busy calendar of meetings for 2025 that will include public monthly meetings, listening sessions about topics important to the community such as the medical program and social equity, and scheduled policy discussion meetings to discuss regulations, meet with holders of specific licenses and consider policy topics.”
You can count on delegates from Beacon Hill being present for a lot of those meetings, and on legislators applying continued pressure, regarding CCC funding and otherwise.