The regulations specify that for the first 12 months they’re in place, only social equity businesses are eligible to get up to six retail licenses and non-social equity businesses can hold up to five retail licenses.
Cannabis Control Commission
Posted inState Government
New CCC chair flags internal operations as ‘critically important’
Chris Harding, who Gov. Maura Healey tapped to lead the CCC in May, said during a meeting Thursday that his priorities for the role include engaging with staff and understanding their focuses as well as the agency’s organizational challenges and opportunities.
Posted inState Government
Our top five Beacon Hill stories of 2025
The Democrats who control the levers of power in Massachusetts spent most of the year fretting about upheaval from the federal government and preparing for more expansive action down the line.
Posted inState Government
Legislature downshifts into holiday mode after short burst of activity
What reached Gov. Maura Healey’s desk, and what’s still on hold until 2026 now that the Legislature is done with major business for the year?
Posted inMarijuana
Social pot consumption vote could come by Christmas
Chair Shannon O’Brien offered the latest timeline at the end of a meeting on Friday, as commissioners also learned that a new member, Carrie Benedon, is joining the commission.
Posted inMarijuana
Back for another term: Bruce Stebbins on his reappointment to the cannabis commission and his vision for the coming five years
“We continue to be a place that people want to come and work,” said Bruce Stebbins, acting chair of the Cannabis Control Commission in a Q&A about his reappointment to the board.
Posted inMarijuana
Cannabis social equity training program back on after a year-long pause
The Cannabis Control Commission’s training program for those most impacted by the war on drugs is set to resume September 8 after a year-long delay the agency attributes to budget constraints.
Posted inMarijuana
Cannabis commission plans to launch social consumption in October
“I obviously appreciate that we’re a little behind…the schedule that we laid out last December, but I still think we’re making great progress,” said Bruce Stebbins, acting chair of the cannabis commission, about a delay on social consumption regulations.
Posted inMarijuana
House cannabis bill targets intoxicating hemp edibles, but critics warn enforcement gaps will remain
Massachusetts is cracking down on intoxicating hemp edibles, but critics say new rules fall short without funding for enforcement.
Posted inMarijuana
Cannabis commission remains short-handed as the agency works on social consumption and other pressing issues
The Cannabis Control Commission is down to just 3 members, with no timeline for appointing a new chair or commissioner with big decisions – including social consumption rules – ahead.
Posted inMarijuana
O’Brien asks SJC to reinstate her as Cannabis Commission chair
O’Brien filed a petition to the state’s Supreme Judicial Court on Friday asking the full court to hear her case and reinstate her as the commission chair.
Posted inMarijuana
Cannabis commission drops 2-driver delivery rule
Even with the latest change, Massachusetts continues to have one of the most heavily regulated marijuana delivery models in the country. Most of the regulations date to 2020, when cannabis delivery began in Massachusetts and the commission threw a whole kitchen sink of safeguards at operators.
Posted inMarijuana
Cannabis Commission not invited to testify at legislative hearings
The hearings were prompted by reports of turmoil at the commission and state Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro’s call for the agency to be put under receivership so the Legislature could have time to clarify who’s in charge at the commission.
Posted inMarijuana
Cannabis Commission chooses former employee as executive director
David Lakeman is currently the head of the cannabis division at the Illinois Department of Agriculture – a position he has held since September 2020. He is familiar with cannabis policy in Massachusetts and the commission itself, having served as head of government affairs at the Cannabis Control Commission between 2018 and 2020.
Posted inMarijuana
Search for new cannabis agency chair could be hampered by Legislature’s review, Goldberg says
“We’ve made a commitment to begin looking. It might prove to be more challenging because those who might consider it might be concerned about changes that could take place,” Treasurer Deborah Goldberg said in reference to the Legislature. “But we’ll address this as we move forward.”
Posted inMarijuana
Cannabis commission nearing end on two-driver changes
“We’ve been talking about the two-driver rule since 2020,” said Ryan Dominguez, the head of the Massachusetts Cannabis Coalition at the public hearing.
Posted inMarijuana
Cannabis Commission says it needs more funds from Legislature
At a meeting of the commission on Thursday, officials said the budget approved by the Legislature and signed by the governor provided $19.8 million – $2.8 million less than what the agency had requested.
Posted inMarijuana
Cannabis commission, 2 members down, squabbles over who should lead
Three votes are needed to appoint an acting chair, but the three commissioners – Nurys Camargo, Bruce Stebbins, and Kimberly Roy – couldn’t agree on who it should be.
Posted inMarijuana
Cannabis Commission says it failed to collect $500,000 in licensing fees
In an email, a spokesperson for the agency said a license renewal extension fee was implemented in August 2022 to give applicants for cannabis licenses more time to file them. Extensions were granted to 161 applicants, the email said, but the fees were never collected by commission staff. The total amount owed in licensing fees was $555,671, according to the email.
Posted inMarijuana
Cannabis commission governance headed for legislative review
In a letter to House Speaker Ron Mariano, 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.
Posted inMarijuana
Cannabis regulators move closer to removing two-driver rule
The commission voted back in December 2023 to remove the two-driver rule, a requirement that every delivery be carried out by two drivers for security purposes.
Posted inMarijuana
Cannabis Commission unveils proposed leadership changes
“This is us first recognizing that we agree that there was a need for some clarity and this is our way of addressing some of that and providing clarity in terms of who does what,” said acting Commission chair Ava Callender Concepcion.
