Accountability. A word we’ve heard a lot in the MA Cannabis Market this week. It’s something as an adult that I know is very rare. I’d even say unicorn like. Accountability being brought at this level, however, is unheard of? Yes, I would call a nine-page letter calling out the multiple indiscretions point by point, detail by detail of a group who has reportedly abused their power so extensively that five lawmakers are now asking for gross oversight of the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission – is indeed, unheard of.

Here's what we know for those not up to speed on the happenings in the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission. Last week after several years (yes, years) of discord, chaos, and ineffectiveness, the cannabis commissions infighting came to a head when Chair Shannon O’Brien was suspended by MA State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg. As far as the public knows right now, without reason. This comes after O’Brien was reportedly brought in by Goldberg to clean up what some have described as a toxic work environment that rarely gets anything done, lacks transparency, and has found itself in the middle of multiple overly aggressive and at times retaliatory investigations of our local companies.

I could say a lot about my opinions and thoughts on the CCC, but I think a story about what it was like to deal with them would be more beneficial for those reading. So, did you know that to work in cannabis, you must first be badged. Sounds fun, right?

Well, here’s what it entails for a candidate: multiple background checks that sometimes take weeks to complete delaying your start date, getting paperwork notarized usually at a bank that you have to schedule a time to go, getting your picture taken as a passport photo which costs $17 per photo, and no transparency about anything that happens to all of it after it is handed in to the CCC.

Yes, if you want to work as a Budtender for $16 an hour( or any position in which you will be on site at a cannabis company) this is just the first steps before you start your new job. It usually takes anywhere from 7-30 days depending on the company because yes, it is the company’s responsibility to make sure all of this is done and they have to pay around $1000 per employee for this process regardless if the person ends up working for them or not.

My story is one of a Budtender who I hired to start work at a dispensary. As Human Resources, I try to make this process as seamless as possible for future employees so I give them my cell phone number so that we are able to communicate throughout the process. This individual, I will call him Steven, was super excited to start work. He had been recently laid off from another cannabis company and really wanted to stay in the industry. He went and did all his paperwork and handed everything in within 36 hours of me sending him his offer. I hand it to our compliance team who sends it into the CCC. They reject his picture. His picture that was professionally taken and he spent more than what he’d be making in an hour for, is rejected. I called him to apologize and ask him to go again. He tells me okay, but it may take a couple of days because he had to borrow the money from his grandmother to afford another picture.

Steven brings me his new picture from a different CVS, and we send it in so that he can start work as soon as possible. It’s rejected again. I am not kidding a passport photo professional taken at CVS, is rejected again. It has now been two weeks since I offered Steven this position. 2 weeks that he could have been working if this were any other job. Two weeks where he could have been paying his bills. I embarrassingly have to call Steven again to tell him this information. This time he cries. That was all the money he had and now he couldn’t start work. He ended up taking a job at Home Depot and I don’t blame him for a second.

I brought this to the CCC and begged them to allow candidates to at least have the option to use their license pictures as they allow for in their Medical Cannabis program. I was told that could not happen. Why? Because the background of the picture is blue and not white. That was their justification. This was almost a year ago now and there has been no changes made or proposed to badging.

After this incident, I changed course and began taking the pictures for the employees myself. Still there is a lot of variation on whether a picture is accepted or not but at least I know the candidate won’t waste any of their own money trying to get a job.

All I can say is this, I hope changes are made so that employees are treated less like criminals and more like people.