Pot bill signed; panel still to be set
Several lawmakers crucial in crafting the bill that overhauled the state’s pot law say they have no interest in serving on the commission they created to oversee the state’s new, potentially billion-dollar industry.
Sens. Jason Lewis, Will Brownsberger and Pat Jehlen, as well as state Rep. Mark Cusack, each said they do not intend to lobby for a role on the Cannabis Control Commission, which Gov. Charlie Baker made official yesterday after signing a bill that reshapes the 8-month-old legal weed law. Among its changes was raising the tax rate from 12 percent to 20 percent.
Baker, Attorney General Maura Healey and Treasuer Deborah B. Goldberg now face a Sept. 1 deadline to cobble together the f ive- person commission, on which four members will earn $120,000 and the chair will make $160,000 annually.
Still unclear, however, is who each is considering for the roles, though Baker said yesterday his administration already has some unnamed people in mind.
“Plenty of people have reached out to us and said they would be interested in serving once the Legislature completed its work,” Baker told reporters. “I don’t think we’ll have trouble meeting the deadlines.”
Aides to Baker, Goldberg and Healey said none of the officials has hired an outside firm to help the search, and none disclosed how many applications have been received to date. Healey’s office said it plans to launch a formal application process next week.
State leaders also have to begin filling a separate volunteer advisory board by Tuesday. Goldberg has made her five picks.
Retail shops can open as early as next July, but once appointed, the commission will have to hire an executive director and support staff, create regulations, and then begin vetting applications next spring before anyone can purchase marijuana legally.