Senator urges inspector general unit for Cannabis Control Commission amid staffing, oversight concerns

Senator Mike Moore urged the Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy to adopt S.90, a bill to create an inspector general unit within the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, citing ongoing allegations of workplace misconduct, slow regulatory action and financial lapses at the CCC.

Moore told the committee he has received “new allegations of harassment and obstruction at the CCC” as recently as the previous week, and described prolonged delays in completing a governance charter and in carrying out regulatory priorities. "I'm here this morning to testify on senate, legislation, senate 90, which would create an inspector general's unit within the CCC," he said.

Why it matters: Moore said the CCC has struggled to carry out legislatively mandated work — from social consumption rules to equity provisions — and that those operational failures have real effects on businesses and the public. He flagged several fiscal items: the commission failed to collect at least $500,000 in fees in a recent audit; outside legal spending rose sharply in FY2024 with more than $300,000 paid to the commission’s main employment law firm; and the commission has already spent six-figure sums this fiscal year on counsel. Moore said those trends, alongside continuing claims of hostile workplace behavior, justify outside review.

Supporters of the bill told the committee the IG unit would provide an independent investigatory capacity and the power to follow up on allegations of mismanagement or wrongdoing. Moore said the IG’s recommendation that the CCC be placed in receivership was unprecedented and underlined how serious the problems may be.

What was said: Moore recounted media reports and inspector-general findings, including unpaid fees and heavy legal bills, and said they were part of a pattern of operational dysfunction. He also raised “lab shopping” and product safety as areas where slow action and an unclear internal power structure have hindered responses.

What the bill would do: S.90 would create an internal inspector general office or unit inside the CCC to investigate internal operations, financial controls and workplace complaints. Moore urged the committee to use S.90 as a vehicle for reforms the legislature can require of the CCC.

Context and next steps: Committee members asked whether receivership would follow the IG recommendation; Moore said he had not seen the IG recommend receivership previously in his 15 years and that the recommendation was indicative of the gravity of the inspector general’s findings. He asked the committee to move quickly on legislative reforms. The hearing continued with multiple witnesses later raising related concerns about workplace safety, testing and the agency’s enforcement capacity.