CCC warns oversight could be jeopardized without significant budget increase
Photo I Courtesy of State House News Service
The Cannabis Control Commission is asking lawmakers to fund its work at $30.8 million in fiscal year 2026.
As the Bay State cannabis market expands, the state's regulatory commission is asking for its budget to increase by about a third — without which its executive director says "the commission's ability to effectively regulate the industry will be jeopardized."
The Cannabis Control Commission is asking lawmakers to fund its work at $30.8 million in fiscal year 2026. This year, between both medical marijuana and recreational sales, the commission operated under a $19.8 million budget. They commission had requested a $25 million budget last year, including $1.5 million for public education funding that wasn't granted.
"Though the commission has historically categorized much of its funding requests as 'expansionary,' the reality is that these funds are necessary to implement legislative requirements and maintain the safety of the industry," CCC Executive Director Travis Ahern told the Joint Committee on Ways and Means at a budget hearing on Monday morning in Gloucester. Ahern started in the role leading the agency last Monday.
The cannabis market in Massachusetts has expanded significantly. Since fiscal year 2023, operational licensees have increased by 25%, while CCC funding has increased by 3%, commission Chair Bruce Stebbins said.
The commission has simultaneously been tasked with implementing new regulations while dealing with issues like product contamination and potency inflation.
Testing between January and February 2025 showed yeast and mold contamination in cannabis products and inconsistency in potency, Ahern said, prompting administrative action. The commission is seeking funds for a state-run standards lab to serve as an industry-wide reference point for lab testing standards and methods.
"Ongoing underinvestment has led to operational shortfalls, including delays in compliance inspections, public education campaigns, equity programs, and critical upgrades in product testing, jeopardizing consumer safety, public trust and integrity of the regulated market," Stebbins said.
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