Waltham resident reflects on appointment to Cannabis Control Commission by Gov. Healey

Waltham resident Anthony Wilson is promising a solutions-based approach to regulating the cannabis industry in Massachusetts, three months into his new role as one of three commissioners appointed by Gov. Maura Healey to the Cannabis Control Commission. 

In 2016, Wilson returned to his hometown of Springfield, after graduating from Suffolk University Law School. Around that time, an old friend approached him for legal help opening a cannabis dispensary, as Massachusetts voters considered legalizing recreational marijuana. 

“At the time, I had not been following the ballot initiative so I thought this person was crazy,” Wilson said. 

About eight months later, the initiative passed and recreational marijuana sales became legal. 

Much of Wilson’s work in Springfield’s Law Department involved developing regulations for the cannabis industry. After working in the city clerk’s office in Cambridge, he started a private law practice representing cannabis operators, from growers to dispensaries. 

In April, Healey signed a sweeping cannabis law that reduced the commission from five members to three and gave the governor authority to appoint all three. In May, Healey appointed Wilson alongside Xiomara DeLobato and commission chair Christopher Harding. 

An oversaturated market

In recent years, prices of cannabis products in Massachusetts have dropped significantly and dispensaries are popping up at a rapid rate. 

In June, Wilson drafted a proposal to monitor licensed growth of marijuana by square footage, which he said could give the commission a way to limit overproduction. 

Wilson said this proposal is moving through public comment and is scheduled to return to the commission for consideration in January. He said reducing the supply of licenses to grow is not likely to mitigate the oversaturation issue, and that a similar analytical approach should be applied to regulating business licenses to open dispensaries. 

“Before we make huge market interventions, I think we should be systematic about the data that we look at,” he said. 

Recreational marijuana on the ballot

Question 8 on the November ballot would prohibit retail sales of recreational marijuana in Massachusetts. Wilson said he has faith that  voters will keep it legal and that the gross revenue and tax revenue for the cannabis industry continue to increase year after year. 

“People are talking about how the industry is struggling. It’s really maturing,” he said. 

Wilson said the legal cannabis market puts an emphasis on testing the product to make sure it doesn’t include harmful chemicals. 

“One thing we can all agree on is whether it is legal or illegal, a lot of people are using cannabis in some form or another under either regime,” he said. “Under the legal regime, it’s safer for the users.”

On Waltham’s history being against weed

Historically, Waltham has been resistant to the sale of recreational marijuana. The city’s first and only dispensary opened in May 2025, nearly a decade after legalization. Wilson, who moved to Waltham in 2019, said opposition to cannabis in many communities stems partly from longstanding stigma. 

“We’ve known for years and years that alcohol destroys families, that alcohol destroys careers, that alcohol damages the body,” he said. “If you’re a senator or your lawyer is having a drink at lunch, you don’t judge them, whereas if that same person has an edible, then they are wondering what kind of character they have.”

Wilson said he is in good company with the other two commissioners who each bring different strengths to the commission. 

“As with other commissions in the commonwealth, I hope you’re not going to hear much from us other than when we’re working on a policy,” Wilson said. “It’s meant to be a low-drama, high-proficiency agency, and you know we have enough politics in the world as it is.”