Leaders of the Cannabis Control Commission have released statements on the selection of an acting chair, the news coming on the heels of the firing of Chair Shannon O’Brien on Monday.
Bruce Stebbins will head the commission until a permanent chair can be chosen, State Treasurer Deborah B. Goldberg said. Stebbins was already serving as a commissioner. He has also served as a commissioner for the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.
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"I am honored to accept the role of Acting Chair and look forward to working together with my colleagues and Commission staff on important policy initiatives in the coming months,” Stebbins said in a media statement. “This is a crucial time for the state’s cannabis industry, which has grown in my four years as a Commissioner into a multi-billion-dollar, increasingly equitable marketplace. I take seriously our mission to oversee safe, accessible cannabis businesses and will continue supporting Massachusetts’ growth as a regional and national regulatory leader in this space.”
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“Having worked alongside Acting Chair Stebbins for the past four years, I am confident he will lead the Commission forward, focusing on forthcoming policy work, as well as upholding the Commission’s commitments to equity and public health and safety for consumers, patients, and licensees,” Commissioner Nurys Camargo said.
After appointing her to the top job in 2022, Goldberg suspended O'Brien, a former state treasurer and the Democratic Party's 2002 nominee for governor, with pay ($196,551 annually) last September. Goldberg said the decision to terminate O'Brien was over unspecified "gross misconduct." O'Brien said she will appeal.
State House News Service contributed to this report.
