2026-02-24
Chair of the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, Shannon O'Brien, joins the High Functioning Podcast to break down the harsh reality behind record-breaking cannabis sales. We discuss why local operators are facing failing profits, why 24 licenses are entering receivership, and what the CCC actually plans to do about it. Topics include removing industry red tape, stopping testing fraud, a potential cultivation freeze, and how to help honest cannabis operators survive the current market crash. CHAPTERS: 00:00 - The Massachusetts Cannabis Crisis 01:21 - Shannon O'Brien’s 2-Year Battle 05:13 - Equity vs. Business Survival 07:08 - The Illusion of Record Cannabis Sales 08:29 - Will There Be a Cultivation Freeze? 10:20 - Worker Safety & Missing Whistleblower Lines 13:44 - Stopping Testing Fraud in Cannabis 17:46 - The Boston Globe & Product Inversion 26:16 - The Committee to Remove Red Tape 30:49 - The Campaign to Repeal Legalization 41:12 - Deverticalizing Medical Cannabis Subscribe to High Functioning for honest conversations from the people actually doing the work in the cannabis industry. 🎧 Full Episodes: highfunctioning.show 🔔 Subscribe: tr.ee/highfunctioningsubscribe 🎙️ Spotify: tr.ee/highfunctioningspotify 🍎 Apple: tr.ee/highfunctioningapple