O'Brien's first meeting back at helm of CCC scheduled for October, social consumption hearing delayed
Photo I State House News Service
Shannon O'Brien
Chairwoman Shannon O'Brien has returned to the Cannabis Control Commission and the agency is delaying the finalization of its long-awaited rules for social marijuana establishments as a result.
The CCC announced Thursday morning that meetings it had on the books for the first half of next week, which were expected to feature the final review of the social consumption regulations and action on employee registration changes, are being pushed back until Oct. 23 and Oct. 24. The delay, the agency said in an update, is intended to "support the transition of leadership and ensure all Commissioners are prepared for the final regulatory review of Social Consumption Establishments, agent registration reform, and related policies."
A spokesman for the CCC told the News Service that O'Brien made the decision to delay the meetings. He also pointed the News Service to a tweet from an Equitable Opportunities Now activist lamenting that "social equity businesses are told they need to wait -- yet again -- by @MA_Cannabis as they delay a hearing on social consumption regs by a month due to the return of Chair O'Brien."
Late Thursday night, CCC released a statement from O'Brien explaining the decision.
“I have made promoting social equity a priority from the day I was first sworn in as Chair in 2022 and understand that the Commission has failed to keep the promise originally made to those disproportionately impacted by the War on Drugs,” O’Brien said. “My goal is to hit the ground running to make concrete changes after years of delay. In fact, two years ago, I expressed disappointment that the work on social consumption had not been adequately addressed, and still share the concerns of stakeholders that this has taken far too long to achieve—nearly two years after I was prevented from leading this effort forward.”
O'Brien was first appointed chair of the CCC in September 2022 and was on the job for a year before Treasurer Deborah Goldberg suspended her, and then fired her in September 2024. O'Brien appealed and a Superior Court judge ruled earlier this month that Goldberg had illegally fired her. The court ordered O'Brien to be reinstated with back pay and said she is entitled to serve the rest of her term, through Aug. 31, 2027.
The CCC will hold at least two other public meetings before it gets back to social consumption, an idea that was part of the 2016 ballot law that legalized marijuana here but has not yet become a reality. The agency said an Oct. 1 meeting will feature licensing review and approvals, an overview of the commission's 2025 goals, and working group updates. An Oct. 9 meeting is planned for licensing review and approvals, and policy discussions.
The framework for social consumption licenses is just one item on the CCC's to-do list as O'Brien returns from two years away.
"I look forward to working with the Chair to continue the Commission's progress to protect patient access, ensure product safety, launch new equity initiatives, upgrade our IT infrastructure, organize around our governance charter, update HR policies, and much more," CCC Executive Director Travis Ahern, who was hired while O'Brien was away from the agency, said last week. "As we undergo another transition in leadership, I'm confident Commissioners and staff will continue working collaboratively together to further our mission and support an effective industry for Massachusetts patients, adult consumers, and licensees."
The regulatory structure that CCC commissioners approved in late July calls for three social consumption license types: a "supplemental" license for existing marijuana establishments like retail stores and cultivation facilities that want to offer their customers the ability to consume products purchased on-site, a "hospitality" license category that would allow for on-site consumption at new or existing non-cannabis businesses like yoga studios or theaters, and an "event organizer" license category that would allow for temporary on-site consumption at events like rallies and festivals.
For the first five years, the licenses will only be available to applicants who qualify for the CCC's social equity or economic empowerment programs, microbusinesses and craft marijuana cooperatives.
Massachusetts would become the 11th state to allow social consumption of cannabis, joining Alaska, California, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York.
WBJ Managing Editor Eric Casey contributed to this article.
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