Massachusetts Judge Rules Cannabis Control Commission Chair Was Wrongly Terminated; Orders Reinstatement 

A Massachusetts Superior Court Judge on Tuesday ruled that the former chair of the state Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) was wrongly terminated last year and should be reinstated, CBS News reports. Shannon O’Brien was fired in September 2024 for allegedly making “racially, ethnically and culturally insensitive statements.”  

In the ruling, Judge Robert Gordon said that O’Brien could only be removed for very specific circumstances and that Treasurer Barbara Goldberg did not meet the criteria when she fired O’Brien, writing in the ruling that the allegations “do not approach – singularly or collectively – the kind of flagrant, outrageous or unconscionable acts that our case law has recognized as essential to a finding of gross misconduct.”  

In the order, Gordon ruled that O’Brien is entitled to be reinstated in her previous role to complete the remainder of her 5-year term – through 2027 – and to receive backpay and benefits from the initial date of her “wrongful removal from office.”  

A spokesperson for O’Brien told CBS news that she is “pleased to have her good name restored and looks forward to working with CCC Executive Director, Travis Ahearn, and her fellow CCC commissioners, in fulfilling the intent of the Legislature when it created the CCC.” 

A spokesperson for Goldberg contended that the treasurer doesn’t “think, under any circumstance, the kind of behavior Chair O’Brien demonstrated should be tolerated.” 

“I do not accept that harassment and bullying are just trivial issues in the workplace,” the statement said. “Frankly, we think this judge got it wrong.”