Massachusetts marijuana regulator must re-eliminate chiefs as spending soars

The court ruled this week that Massachusetts must rehire its former top marijuana regulator after a controversial sack.

Shannon O’Brien, former chairman of the Massachusetts Marijuana Control Commission (CCC), is just the most prominent example of a troubled former employee, whose complaints have lost $1.5 million so far, according to Worcester Business Journal.

O’Brien, a former Democratic gubernatorial candidate, was removed from the state treasurer in September 2024 for accusation of “great misconduct”, including making racist comments in the agency and creating a hostile environment.

Her sack was about a year after state Treasury Secretary Deborah Goldberg suspended O’Brien for the first time.

Boston-based WGBH reports that O’Brien is now ready to return, a Suffolk County Superior Court judge ruled that O’Brien was illegally terminated.

Massachusetts marijuana chief wins rewards, spending

The station said Robert Gordon’s Sept. 2 order restored O’Brien’s compensation, noting that she must have the remaining two years of her term.

A Goldberg spokesman said the judge “get it wrong” and that the treasurer is considering the next step, such as potential attractiveness.

But, meanwhile, the CCC must pay more than $300,000 in dismissal to former Communications Director Cedric Sinclair.

The document says the total spending of CCC employee disputes is more than $1.5 million.

He told the Wall Street Journal that Sinclair was partially removed, partly because of what he called a “culture of toxic culture of revenge and corrupt.”

Massachusetts’ “toxic culture” is a “cannabis regulator”

This includes disputes about whether O’Brien correctly removed himself from partial ownership of the farming company before winning a state license.

“The committee will remain a cautionary tale for the entire country until there is responsibility,” Sinclair told the magazine.

Sinclair’s payments and O’Brien’s retraining have released a harsh audit of the CCC.

The state auditors found last month that the CCC showed “potential preference and/or misconduct” when dealing with some marijuana licensees.

According to the audit, the CCC “creates the emergence of potential misconduct, which may erode public trust in the public institution.”

Recently, the marijuana industry in Massachusetts has been plagued by controversy, including marijuana testing for lab fraud and federal charges against Suffolk County Sheriff for allegedly cheating on a cannabis company for bribery.