Yo, peeps! Check it out, there’s some serious drama going down in the Massachusetts cannabis industry. So, listen up and let me fill you in on the latest tea.
So, this audit thing happened recently, right? It was all about this organization called the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (CCC). They were supposed to be regulating and overseeing the recreational cannabis products in the state. Well, turns out they screwed up big time.
According to the audit report published by some state auditor named Diana DiZoglio on Sept. 26 (yeah, I know, who even reads audit reports?), the CCC let millions of dollars worth of possibly unsafe cannabis products be sold to consumers. Like, what the actual heck, man?
So, get this: between Jan. 1, 2019 and Dec. 31, 2020, a whopping $10,192,986 worth of cannabis products were sold to innocent peeps like you and me. And get this, many of those products were sold over a year after they were lab tested. Yeah, you heard me right. Over a year! Like, who wants expired weed? That stuff is as good as trash.
The audit report had three major findings. First off, the CCC didn’t even bother to check if the products were expired before selling them. Second, they totally dropped the ball on making sure marijuana establishments and testing labs reported positive pesticide results. And lastly, get this – their employees haven’t even received any cyber security training. Talk about a hot mess.
Apparently, it’s required by law for labs to report positive pesticide results within 72 hours. But guess what? The CCC couldn’t even follow this simple rule. They were slacking big time. In fact, there was this one testing facility that didn’t even bother to notify the CCC about a positive test result at all. Can you believe it?
Now, the office of the state auditor recommended that the CCC should “improve its processes and procedures.” Yeah, no kidding! Better late than never, I guess. DiZoglio, the state auditor, said that the CCC is already making plans to fix their mess. They better, ’cause this is some serious stuff we’re talking about here.
But wait, there’s more! Remember that guy Shawn Collins? He was the executive director of the CCC. Well, he decided to bounce from his position and take parental leave. You know what they say, when the going gets tough, take a break! But nah, his departure put the CCC in a crisis, according to its chairwoman Shannon O’Brien. She even had to apologize for the “angst” and “confusion” caused by her statement. Drama alert!
But hold up, Collins later clarified that he has no “definitive plans” to leave. He’s still sticking around for now. He actually enjoys his job and finds it stimulating and all that jazz. So, I guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens with him.
Alright, so let’s talk sales. Massachusetts legalized recreational cannabis back in 2016, but it took a while for things to get rolling. Finally, in November 2018, sales began. And guess what? The sales have been through the roof! As of Sept. 6 this year, Massachusetts has collected over $5 million in gross cannabis sales. That’s some serious green, my friends.
According to this thing called Metrc (whatever that is), there are a ton of retailers and delivery couriers and operators in Massachusetts. Like seriously, there are 317 retailers alone. And get this – the CCC has approved licenses for 53 retail stores and four delivery operators. That’s a lot of weed!
But here’s the thing: over the past five years, 16 cannabis companies have either lost their licenses or had them revoked. It happens, I guess. It’s all about competition and shelf space and all that fun stuff. But hey, at least some brands are starting to emerge, right?
Now, here’s the real kicker: O’Brien, the CCC chairwoman, got suspended out of the blue. No one knows why yet, but it was Massachusetts state treasurer Deborah Goldberg who made the decision. Drama, drama, drama.
So there you have it, folks. The Massachusetts cannabis industry is in a whole lot of hot water. The CCC messed up big time, but they’re supposedly trying to fix things. Let’s hope they get their act together because we deserve better than unsafe and expired cannabis products. Stay woke, my friends!
