Key Massachusetts Lawmaker Rejects Push To Place Marijuana Regulatory Body Under Receivership

“We believe there are alternative paths forward that would be less disruptive to the industry and more directly address our concerns.”

By Bhaamati Borkhetaria, CommonWealth Beacon

A key lawmaker formally rejected the idea of receivership for the Cannabis Control Commission but said he intends to hold hearings in the fall exploring changes to the way the commission is governed.

With one day left in the legislative session, Rep. Daniel Donahue (D), the chair of the Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy, rejected the idea put forward by Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro of putting the commission under receivership.

“At this time, we believe there are alternative paths forward that would be less disruptive to the industry and more directly address our concerns,” said Donahue in an email statement.

In a letter to House Speaker Ron Mariano (D), Donahue said the committee plans to hold public hearings to revisit the statute that created the commission, particularly the responsibilities and powers of the chair of the commission and its executive director. Shapiro, in a letter to lawmakers, said those powers need to be clarified so there are clear lines of authority at the commission.

In the letter to Mariano, Donahue noted the law says the chair “shall have and exercise supervision and control over all the affairs of the commission” and simultaneously says the executive director “shall be the executive and administrative head of the commission and shall be responsible for administering and enforcing the law relative to the commission and to each administrative unit thereof.”

Donahue also said his committee has “identified broader opportunities for reconsideration, including appointment and removal powers, as well as the structural model of the agency itself.”

The reference could be to the ongoing suspension of the commission’s chair, Shannon O’Brien. Treasurer Deborah Goldberg appointed and later suspended O’Brien in connection with allegations she created a toxic work environment and made racially insensitive comments. Now, Goldberg is in the process of making a decision on whether to reappoint O’Brien or fire her.

This article first appeared on CommonWealth Beacon and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.