Here’s the introduction to their, shall we say, realistic report !
Eg hiring a new director will not unmake the fact that it is a basketcase of a regulatory organistion, although organisation isn’t really a word that i’d apply to this regulatory body
I think their secret manifesto is actually a cargo cult worshipping at the feet of the late Malcom McClaren, manager of the Sex Pistols
The Boston Globe writes
More than seven years after the Legislature created the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, the organization remains dysfunctional. In order to operate effectively, it needs an organizational overhaul.
As widely reported, the CCC, which was created to regulate the state’s cannabis industry, has experienced a litany of problems, even in foundational areas such as self-governance and day-to-day operations.
It need not be this way. While lawmakers did not act upon my suggestion, as the state’s inspector general, last summer to appoint a temporary receiver to provide much-needed stability for the commission, I continue to believe that correcting the course demands a sense of urgency and there should be legislative action to restructure the CCC.
For more than a year, the CCC has operated without a permanent executive director, a permanent chair, or a fully comprised board. The inaugural executive director resigned in December 2023. The CCC then spent a significant amount of time recruiting and hiring for the position, only to have its first choice decline the job offer in November 2024. During that time, three different commissioners served as acting chair.
Newly appointed executive director Travis Ahern is expected to begin his tenure in March, and a new acting chair has been in place since September. But any suggestion that a change in leadership is enough to fix the commission’s troubles and “right the ship” is overly optimistic.
The CCC has struggled with self-governance. In July 2024, after months of work, it finally issued a draft governance charter defining the roles of the commission, the chair, and the executive director. Yet more than six months later, the CCC has not approved the charter.
The agency has struggled with instability attributable to employee turnover, vacancies, and workplace complaints. It recently took steps to fill other critical leadership positions, but only after spending more than $1.1 million on legal expenses and salaries for suspended employees.
Read full story
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/02/07/opinion/cannabis-control-commission-overhaul/
