Cannabis Commission board strips acting executive director of day-to-day oversight

Three board members of the state's cannabis control commission voted Thursday to strip the agency's acting executive director, Debbie Hilton-Creek, of her role overseeing day-to-day operations.

A fourth commissioner, Kimberly Roy, opposed the motion, saying the vote violated state law. Roy said she planned to take the matter to several state oversight agencies for review.

"This motion language is a violation of the law and quite frankly an abuse of power by the commission and its authority," Roy said during a marathon commission meeting.

The agency overseeing the state's $6 billion marijuana industry has been in turmoil for a year, with numerous high-level departures, 20 vacant positions and allegations of a toxic work environment. At least three women say they were bullied by a now-suspended communications chief, Cedric Sinclair.

Commission chair Shannon O'Brien also is currently suspended and has been called into closed-door hearings with state Treasurer Deborah Goldberg over accusations that she used racially insensitive remarks in her role. O'Brien has denied the allegations.

The commission's acting chair, Ava Callender Concepcion, proposed the measure Thursday, which requires Hilton-Creek to "prioritize" her role leading human resources and "delegate" the responsibility of overseeing other departments to each group's chief. Concepcion had floated a similar measure at a previous commission meeting but it failed to pass.

"The goal is for chiefs to share the workload so that the acting executive director can prioritize the HR matters that need some much needed attention," Concepcion said. She disagreed with Roy's take that the vote was a violation of law and said she had consulted with counsel.

Concepcion said there would be "minimal impact" on most employees.

The commission has been without a permanent executive director since Shawn Collins resigned in December. The 20 open roles include a director of operations, director of investigations and members of the general counsel's office.

Concepcion acknowledged "immense professional strain" at the agency, but said its staff continues to do the work of regulating the marijuana business and issuing licenses.