The Cannabis Control Commission is broken by the law that established it and needs to be placed under the authority of a receiver by the end of July, the Bay State’s Inspector General told legislative leaders in a letter.

Pointing to numerous problems surrounding the ousted commission chair and challenges with the laws structuring the agency, Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro urged House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka to act before the end of this legislative session, after determining that “the agency’s statute lacks a clear leadership hierarchy with defined duties and responsibilities.”

“I believe the CCC needs immediate clear direction with an accountable hierarchy. In its present state, the CCC lacks such direction. I urge the Legislature to take short-term action by authorizing the appointment of a receiver before the completion of the current formal legislative session on July 31, and long-term action by revisiting the commission structure,” Shapiro wrote.

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The Cannabis Control Commission meets Monday absent its chairwoman after she was suddenly suspended from her job last week.

On Thursday, Treasury Secretary Deb Goldberg removed pot boss Shannon O’Brien from her post just a year after the former gubernatorial candidate took the job steering marijuana policy for the state. The suspension, with pay, was made public the next day.

O’Brien, who previously won election as State Treasurer, was appointed to lead the five member commission by Goldberg last August. The chairwoman is paid $181,722 per year for her work.

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