Massachusetts, Meet Your New Cannabis Commissioners!
After month’s of deliberation and speculation about who would grace the seats of the newly formed Cannabis Control Commission, the commissioners for Massachusetts have finally been chosen!
Last year, MA voted to make recreational marijuana legal- the ensuing process of actually legalizing the plant became long and drawn out, peppered with attempts by anti- marijuana politicians to change the drafted law. Finally, last month, the laws were finalized and the state sat down to choose who would be on the Cannabis Control Commission.
Steven Hoffman was chosen as the chair of the Cannabis Control Commission, an interesting decision considering Hoffman previously voted against Marijuana legalization. Hoffman was a former partner of the company Bain & Co and has a background in technology, the startup industry and management. As MRCC pointed out in their write up of the commissioners, Hoffman has almost no experience in the Cannabis industry.
Kaye Doyle, who also voted No on Question 4 was appointed as well. Doyle is a former deputy general council to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Brittie McBride is an “attorney from #Lynnfield who also voted against legalizing #marijuana last November” was tapped by Attorney General Maura Healey. Jennifer Flanagan was chosen by Governor Charlie Baker as his pick for one of the seats of the Commission. She was also the co-chair of the Join Committee of Mental Health & Substance Abuse
Shaleen Title is the only person of color and also the only one who voted Yes on Question 4 who is on the Cannabis Control Commission. She is the co-founder of the THC Staffing Group and “has won several awards for her advocacy work and her efforts to bring more women and people of color into drug policy reform” (MRCC).
Hopefully, the levels of corruptions usually present in state politics won’t creep their way into the Cannabis Control Commission but only time will tell as MA moves closer and closer to realizing a functioning Cannabis industry.
