In the latest blow to the state’s troubled Cannabis Control Commission, David Lakeman, a former CCC official who’s now the top cannabis regulator in Illinois, has turned down an offer to take over as executive director and plug a longstanding hole in the agency’s leadership.
The news comes weeks after commissioners announced that Lakeman would take the job and replace the interim director, who has led the agency since Shawn Collins resigned last December. Lakeman alerted the CCC he would not assume the role on Nov. 19.
In statements this week, neither party would say why.
“After receiving an offer from the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission to serve as its Executive Director, I have declined the opportunity and will remain with the Illinois Department of Agriculture,” said Lakeman, who left the CCC for the Illinois job in 2020.
A CCC spokesperson said the agency “looks forward to the arrival of its next, permanent Executive Director,” but said they cannot comment further to protect its “negotiating position” in the hiring process.
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Lakeman previously spent two years as head of government affairs at the CCC and, before that, served on its Cannabis Advisory Board as a policy expert “responsible for writing parts of the legislation and executive regulations” on marijuana in Massachusetts, according to his LinkedIn.
In October, commissioners announced they had unanimously chose Lakeman to be the agency’s new executive director, selecting him over three other finalists: the CCC’s current head of government affairs, Matt Giancola; Holliston town manager Travis Ahern; and Marty Golightly, a senior director at a health care company called Cityblock. He was slated to take over for Debbie Hilton Creek, the commission’s chief people officer and interim executive director.
At the time, Commissioner Kimberly Roy told Commonwealth Beacon that Lakeman is “someone who is well-versed in the Massachusetts cannabis industry but [who] also built an agency in Illinois … Government sometimes moves at its own pace, but having an individual that has already accomplished some of the things we’re trying to accomplish would be extraordinarily helpful.”
When Lakeman’s name was announced, the CCC had not completed contract negotiations about his offer. A potential salary was not available, though Collins made around $200,000 in his final year on the job, according to state records.
It adds fuel to criticisms that the CCC lacks reliable leadership, a clear division of responsibilities, and the urgency to enact new regulations for the state’s quickly-evolving $7 billion recreational cannabis industry. Just this year, the commission faced multiple allegations of harboring a toxic work culture and calls by the state Inspector General to place it in receivership. Meanwhile former chair Shannon O’Brien is appealing her termination in court and alleges that she was ousted unfairly by commission leadership and state treasurer Deborah Goldberg, one of three appointing authorities at the agency.
Attorney General Andrea Campbell — the other appointed authority, alongside Governor Maura Healey — have also expressed concern about the agency. She previously said that she is “abundantly clear that the Cannabis Control Commission needs to be reformed and restructured” and that “it needs permanent leadership.”
Legislators on Beacon Hill held two public hearings probing the structure of the CCC this fall, but have yet to announce measures to change the agency.
David O’Brien, president of the Massachusetts Cannabis Business Association, said he hopes a replacement for Lakeman will arrive soon so the agency can get moving on pending regulations. In the next few months, the CCC is slated to create licenses for cannabis cafes and other types of “social consumption,” target issues with cannabis testing, and finalize its first-ever governance charter.
“We were looking forward to having a new executive director hit the ground running,” O’Brien said, “so that we can continue the momentum of the regulatory changes that are so desperately needed to provide relief to our industry.”
H/T: www.bostonglobe.com
