Overview

• Chairing her first public meeting in two years, Shannon O’Brien resumed licensing business and led the commission to scrap the three-day post-licensure waiting period for businesses.
• O’Brien directed a comprehensive review of actions taken during her absence to confirm their legal validity, with Executive Director Travis Ahern working with the Attorney General’s office on what may require a redo.
• She outlined plans to ease regulatory burdens on operators, elevate accountability and transparency for independent testing laboratories, and reinforce the Social Equity Program.
• The commission delayed final action on social-consumption regulations, with further review set for Oct. 23–24 and a commissioner saying rules should be in place before Christmas.
• Her return followed a Suffolk Superior Court ruling that reinstated her through 2027, and Treasurer Deb Goldberg dropped an appeal after a single justice declined to keep O’Brien off the job during the process.