Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy Holds 2nd Informational Hearing on CCC
Today the Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy held an informational hearing in Boston aimed at aiding the Committee’s consideration of the Cannabis Control Commission's enabling statute. This is the second of two hearings the Committee plans to have this fall to address areas of concern where the commission lacks clarity in ultimate authority and accountability for its operations as currently structured under law.
The committee invited the following members from the Massachusetts cannabis industry stakeholders to testify at this second hearing:
Professor Renée Landers, Suffolk University Law School. Professor Landers is a Professor of Law teaching Administrative Law, Constitutional Law, and Health Law at Suffolk University Law School in Boston. She is the Faculty Director of Health and Biomedical Law Concentration and Masters of Science in Law.
Erik Gundersen, ERG Strategies. Erik is the founder of ERG Strategies, a cannabis policy consulting firm. Previously, he served as the Executive Director of Maine’s Office of Cannabis Policy, where he oversaw Maine’s medical marijuana program and launched its adult-use cannabis program.
Professor David Hammond, PhD, University of Waterloo. Professor Hammond is a Professor and University Research Chair in Public Health in the School of Public Health Sciences at the University of Waterloo. His work focuses on public health considerations in specific policy areas, including tobacco control and cannabis and harm reduction.
Mackenzie Slade, MPH, Cannabis Public Policy Consulting. Mackenzie is the Executive Director of Cannabis Public Policy Consulting, a cannabis policy and research consulting firm. She is a trained implementation scientist and has experience developing, implementing, and evaluating cannabis programs and policies.
Senate Chair Adam Gomez (D-Springfield) had this to say on the comments heard during the hearing, "I was grateful to co-chair the Joint Committee on Cannabis' second informational hearing regarding structural oversight of the Cannabis Control Commission. As integral stakeholders, it's clear that we all must work collaboratively towards the same goal— which will always involve finding the right balance between commercial interests and public health. An evolving market will create evolving needs and we're looking to find the Commonwealth's best path forward to make those necessary changes. I look forward to continuing collaboration with my co-chair Representative Dan Donahue as we look ahead to the next session.”
Of chief concern during the hearing were matters of (1) responsibility for agency operations and (2) proper channels of accountability within the agency structure. The CCC operates as an independent agency consisting of five commissioners, each of whom serves for 5 years with the eligibility for reappointment. Appointment and removal authority for the commissioners is shared among three appointing authorities – the Treasurer, the Governor, and the Attorney General, with the Treasurer designating the Commission’s Chair. Current statute states that the Chair “shall have and exercise control over all the affairs of the commission.” In addition to the five above mentioned commissioners, the CCC also has an Executive Director defined by the statute as “the executive and administrative head of the commission,” who “serves at the pleasure of the commission.”
The aim of the second hearing was to address areas of concerns brought up by industry stakeholders during the October 30th hearing, and focusing on those concerns from the perspectives of experts in the field of cannabis policy, administrative law, and public health. This was an opportunity to both explore the root causes of the concerns heard in the first hearing and to weigh the relative merits of alternative approaches.
Parties interested in watching the tape of the hearing may find it at Hearing Details - Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy.