Massachusetts Cannabis Advisory Board Appointees Announced by Treasurer Goldberg

The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission recently announced several appointments so their Cannabis Advisory Board, the members of which will study and make recommendations to the Commission regarding the regulation and taxation of marijuana in the state. The board will reportedly consist of 25 members with five appointees made by the Governor, five appointees by the Treasurer and Receiver General, five appointees by the Attorney General, and 10 ex officio members with expertise and knowledge relevant to the Board’s mission (1).

The recent announcement of five board members came from Treasurer Deborah B. Goldberg (2,3). “I am pleased to appoint these members to the Massachusetts Cannabis Advisory Board,” said Treasurer Goldberg (2,3). “I am confident they will have a meaningful impact on the regulation of the cannabis industry across our state.”

Treasurer-appointed members are required to have expertise in cannabis cultivation, cannabis retailing, cannabis product manufacturing, laboratory sciences and toxicology, and providing legal services to cannabis businesses. Treasurer Goldberg’s new appointees and reappointments to the Cannabis Advisory Board are (1–3): Amanda Rositano, an expert in marijuana product manufacturing; Dr. Alan Balsam, an expert in laboratory sciences and toxicology; Dr. Marion McNabb, an expert in marijuana retailing; Michael Dundas, an expert in marijuana cultivation; and Laury C. Lucien, an expert in providing legal services to marijuana businesses.

Amanda Rositano is the principal of Rositano Strategies, a cannabis business consulting firm focused on building a more inclusive and responsible cannabis industry, and former president of NETA (Parallel, MA), where she served as a key member of the start-up and leadership team that led the launch of the state’s medical marijuana program and successfully transacted the first legal adult-use sale of cannabis east of the Mississippi.

Alan Balsam, PhD, MPH, is an Adjunct Associate Professor at Tufts Medical School (Medford, MA) and Boston University School of Public Health (Boston, MA). He retired after 21 years as Commissioner of Public Health in Brookline. Prior to that, he served as Director of Elder Health at the Massachusetts Dept. of Public Health. He is a founding member of Community Servings, the medically tailored meals provider in Massachusetts and sits on its Board of Mentors.

Marion McNabb, DrPH, MPH, is the President of Cannabis Center of Excellence (CCOE), INC, a Massachusetts-based 501c3 nonprofit organization that conducts citizen-science-focused population studies and programs in the areas of community engagement, medical cannabis, adult-use cannabis, and social justice in the cannabis industry. The CCOE serves as a virtual resource and network of cannabis industry professionals, academics, policymakers, healthcare providers, consumers, and patients who aim to break the stigma and advance social justice in the cannabis industry. McNabb is also a member of the Cannabis Patient Care editorial advisory board.

Michael Dundas is an entrepreneur, attorney, and investor in the regulated cannabis industry. From 2012 to 2019, Mr. Dundas co-founded and was the chief executive officer of one of the largest medical cannabis companies in Massachusetts. He joined the Cannabis Advisory Board at its inception in 2017 and sits as the Chair of the Cannabis Industry Subcommittee. Mr. Dundas currently heads Navigaire Advisors, LLC, a business and government consultancy focusing on advising leaders and innovators on how to improve operational, financial, and regulatory performance across the regulated cannabis sector.

Laury C. Lucien is a Massachusetts marijuana attorney and entrepreneur. Ms. Lucien is the CEO of Major Bloom, LLC, a company that has secured two host agreements and one special permit to operate Marijuana Establishments in the Commonwealth. She is a Founder and Managing Member of GreenLight Business Solutions, LLC, a comprehensive consulting firm that helps marijuana start-ups navigate the marijuana industry. She is a partner in Chill Hill Bean Co., LLC, a craft genetics company based in California. She is also an adjunct professor at Suffolk University Law School, where she teaches the school’s first Cannabis Law course. She sits on the Boston Bar Association’s Cannabis Advisory Committee and sat on the Advisory Board for the Massachusetts Recreational Consumer Council.

For a complete list of the Cannabis Advisory Board members, please visit: https://masscannabiscontrol.com/about/cannabis-advisory-board/.

References

1. https://masscannabiscontrol.com/about/cannabis-advisory-board/#treasurer-and-receiver
2. http://reverejournal.com/2021/10/27/treasurer-goldberg-announces-appointees-to-cannabis-advisory-board/
3. https://www.masslive.com/cannabis/2021/10/these-5-experts-have-been-appointed-to-the-massachusetts-cannabis-advisory-board-including-former-neta-president-amanda-rositano-and-laury-lucien-of-major-bloom.html