The new Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) unanimously approved a slate of emergency regulations on June 17 in order to meet requirements set by the recently enacted law that reshaped the commission two months ago following years of leadership turmoil.
The new law, Ch. 65 of the Acts of 2026, mandated a series of reforms, including increasing the single-day purchase and possession limits from one to two ounces, flipping the rules for municipalities to determine whether to allow adult-use delivery, increasing the retail ownership cap from three to six dispensaries, and increasing the ownership threshold from 10% to 20%.
The law set a June 19 deadline for new regulations to be approved by the commission.
“The Commission is moving quickly to update regulations to meet a specific deadline within Ch. 65, but this is just the beginning of a comprehensive policy-making process that will unfold over the next year,” Commission Chair Chris Harding said in a June 17 statement. “Ten years after voters approved an adult-use cannabis market in Massachusetts, today’s update and those coming in the future will ensure access to a safe, equitable cannabis industry for consumers, patients, business leaders, and taxpayers well into the future.”
Complete change in cannabis leadership
The new law reduced the commission from five to three seats, which were all re-appointed by Gov. Maura Healey on May 19, leaving them about 30 days to put in place new rules.
Healey appointed Christopher Harding, Xiomara DeLobato and Anthony Wilson to be the state’s new Cannabis Control Commission.
Harding previously served as chief of staff and undersecretary of the executive office of the Massachusetts Health and Human Services department. DeLobato served as vice president and chief of staff for the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council, while Wilson served as consultant to cannabis businesses, as well as in city government, in Cambridge and Springfield, Mass.
“By enacting Chapter 65, the legislature and the governor have set the Commission’s immediate priorities, and some with only two months from the date of enactment to accomplish. Because of this very short time frame, our immediate focus must include the items that must be accomplished within two months from the date of enactment. Specifically the changes to license caps,” said Harding during a June 11 commission.
More social equity licenses
The retail license limit is increased to six for social equity operators, and the integrated medical license cap is now three. There will be no more than five retail licenses for non-social equity entities until at least 12 months after the commission begins accepting applications for retail under the new rules.
The cap limit excludes individuals who act solely as ESOP trustees.
The ownership limit, which allows equity or loan holders to not be classified as actual stakeholders with control, changes from 10% to 20%.
The emergency regulations are expected to be in effect for three months as the CCC completes the public comment process, which will include a period for written feedback from July 3 to July 30, when a public hearing will be held.
“You can do things fast or do things well,” said Commissioner Wilson, at the meeting. “We do always have to sort of thread that needle.”
O’Brien out as legislature quells turmoil
The change marks a new chapter in Massachusetts’ 10-year-old adult-use cannabis market, following turmoil among leadership over the last few years that saw former Commission Chair Shannon O’Brien removed from office.
O’Brien subsequently sued for wrongful termination and was reinstated two-years later. At the same time, the commission faced ongoing disputes among leadership that resulted in the resignation of its executive director and two commissioners, followed by calls from the state legislature to reform the embattled agency.
“This industry supports thousands of jobs and small businesses across Massachusetts, and it’s important that we have a regulatory structure that is effective, accountable and built to meet the needs of a growing industry. These appointees bring strong leadership and management experience, and I’m confident they will help move the Commission and industry forward,” said Healey in a May 19 statement when she announced the appointments.
The commission plans to continue working on the regulations into the fall, with additional reforms coming for the medical market as the state responds to ongoing federal rescheduling plans.
“With federal rescheduling efforts underway, the medical program warrants consideration of reforms that go beyond deep vertical integration. The commission’s medical working group has spent considerable time developing recommendations in this area, and the board is well positioned to take up those recommendations this coming fall,” said Harding at the meeting.
Meanwhile, the state’s adult-use cannabis program is in jeopardy as the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts approved the language of a ballot initiative that seeks to repeal recreational legalization, according to the Commonwealth Beacon. Organizers have until the end of the month to collect the necessary signatures to certify the petition for the November ballot.
