Would you be surprised to discover that a commission in Massachusetts might have devolved into a vindictive, self-enriching trainwreck with no transparency? Of course not; this is Massachusetts.
“Since its creation in 2017, The Cannabis Control Commission has faced what sometimes feels like an endless stream of scandals. The public deserves some accountability on why these issues have proven so hard to stamp out, and what long-term changes the agency is making to get its work done with more transparency and efficiency,” State Sen. Michael Moore said in a statement Monday.
The committee commissioner was suspended – but not for having “a pair of marijuana license cultivation applications, despite her position.” No one knows why she was put on paid leave, but she is still collecting her $182,000+/year salary.
Licensees have testified to legislative committees over retaliation by commission investigators and complained about transparency.
This reminds me of that time on GraniteGrok when I said letting the government control/manage the marijuana business might be a bad idea. How scrabbling for any semblance of permission to use cannabis would empower oppressive forces with an infusion of additional revenue. That it might not be worth the long-term pain and suffering, though you could – if needed – smoke some weed to try and forget about that for a while.
- Legal Weed in California Leads to More Marijuana Enforcement (not less).
- Lawsuit – Medical Marijuana Users Want to Keep Second Amendment Rights
- How About a 26% Tax on Marijuana Sales To Keep Prices “High”
- Support for Latest Marijuana Legalization Bill Not Worth The “Price”
- Study – 12% of Drug-Related Fatal Car Crashes Involved Marijuana
- Weed is Still Illegal in New Hampshire, so Why is Bud Barn in Vermont Advertising on Keene Radio [Update]
- Legal Weed is in Trouble – Will it Demand a Cartel and Law Enforcement Support to Protect It?
- Is Maine Building a ‘Budding’ Weed Cartel?
- A Public Service Reminder, NH – As HB639 Advances: You Can’t “Legally” Have Guns AND Weed
And as with all organs of the government, the apparent solution to whatever ails it is to request a massive budget increase.
“Considering the 23% funding increase the CCC requested during FY24 budget negotiations, it is now more critical than ever that we make sure this agency has a plan to right the ship. Millions of our tax dollars are at stake – I am hopeful the Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy will schedule a hearing to get answers from the top brass at the CCC,” Moore said.
If it makes anyone feel better, several members of the Massachusetts Legislature sent a letter to the joint committee overseeing the regulators on the cannabis commission. They are concerned about the problems, abuse, and secrecy. Maybe they are all just becoming paranoid. Marijuana can do that to you, and while I do think private citizens should be free to grow a little or have a little for their use without the state harassing them, so far, state management has not gone well.
The solution in Massachusetts will likely be another commission stuffed with connected, overpaid, make-work zombies to oversee the commission that oversees cannabis, and that’s what they should call it.
The Commission to Control the Cannabis Control Commission. And they, of course, will need some oversight as well. The Commission to Control the COmmission Controlling the Cannabis Control Commission. And you have to pay them more than the commissioners whom they oversee and give them larger budgets, and It’ll be glorious, comrade!
If you want to afford the cannabis you worked so hard to deregulate or decriminalize, you’ll have to buy it on the black market, which the state will then need to police to protect its monopoly.
Legal Weed as a path to a police state. And let’s not pretend we didn’t see that coming.
HT | Boston Herald
