The former chair of the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission is suing the state treasurer after being dismissed for alleged “gross misconduct.”
Former Chair Shannon O’Brien claims she was fired by Treasurer Deborah Goldberg over personal feelings. O’Brien filed a petition with the state’s Supreme Judicial Court seeking reinstatement, claiming the treasurer wrongfully accused her of misconduct without presenting substantive evidence.
Goldberg initially suspended O’Brien in September 2023 and terminated her in September 2024. Goldberg alleged that O’Brien made “racially insensitive comments” and bullied the former executive director of the commission.
Goldberg claimed that O’Brien referred to Asian Americans using the term “yellow,” but the former chair has said she was only repeating the words of a developer.
O’Brien’s petition also addresses an accusation that she said some of the commission’s phone operators may not be “college grads,” but that they were “articulate,” which Goldberg said was an indication that O’Brien was surprised that someone without a degree could be articulate. O’Brien says she does not remember ever having made the comment.
O’Brien also says she was fired following private hearings that she claims were biased against her.
Petition circulator pleads guilty to making fake signatures
A petition circulator for Nebraska’s medical cannabis ballot measures recently pleaded guilty to falsifying signatures.
Michael K. Egbert admitted to falsely swearing to a circulator’s affidavit and acknowledged that he had added around 200 signatures to his petition sheets. He claims he collected the names and addresses from a phone book.
Egbert initially faced a felony charge for falsifying the signatures, but the charge was reduced to a misdemeanor.
Hall County Election Commissioner Tracy Overstreet noted that these irregular signatures were flagged early on and were never counted toward the petition’s totals.
Egbert also admitted that he never signed his circulator oath in front of a notary, leading to additional misconduct allegations against the notaries who supposedly notarized his petitions. One notary has denied any wrongdoing and is seeking to dismiss the case. A second notary has claimed she has no memory of signing the petitions and that they may have been inadvertently mixed in with valid ones.
Missouri cannabis sales beat other states’
In under two years, Missouri’s cannabis market has rapidly grown, generating $1.4 billion in revenue, reportedly surpassing more established markets like Arizona, Colorado and Nevada.
Unlike other states that experienced an initial spike in sales followed by declines, Missouri has maintained steady monthly sales of around $120 million. In the first half of 2024, Missouri ranked fifth in U.S. recreational cannabis sales, with $709 million in revenue. This performance trails only behind more populous states such as California, Michigan, Illinois and Massachusetts.