Back at the helm of the Cannabis Control Commission after a judge ruled she was improperly fired, Shannon O’Brien says she wants to work on cutting red tape for cannabis businesses.

On GBH’s Boston Public Radio Friday, O’Brien said she and fellow cannabis commissioner Kimberly Roy are leading a “red-tape reduction” effort that will kick off with its first meeting next week.

“When the first commissioners were writing the regulations, they were overly prescriptive,” O’Brien said. “And they will say we really went on the side of making sure that this was very tightly regulated. ”

One example O’Brien gave is a requirement that businesses provide the CCC with architectural review plans for their buildings.

“But we don’t have any architects on our staff,” she said. “So why are we charging them $1,500 to do that?”

The CCC reported last week that marijuana businesses in Massachusetts generated more than $1.65 billion in gross sales in 2025, for a new annual record. Around 20,000 people work in the industry, according to the commission.

O’Brien said cannabis is “blowing away the cranberry as our top agricultural product.”

But, she said, prices across the country have been falling as more suppliers and vendors have entered the field.

“That’s good for consumers, but there are a lot of businesses that went in — they had a business plan, they assumed what their revenues would be, they would assume what their profits would be — and prices have plummeted,” O’Brien said.

She said the red-tape reduction initiative is one way the CCC is looking to help those businesses stay profitable.

O’Brien, a former state treasurer and the 2002 Democratic nominee for governor, was reinstated as CCC chair in September. Her return to the regulatory body ended a tumultuous chapter that began in 2023 when state Treasurer Deb Goldberg suspended her from the post over alleged misconduct and ultimately fired her.

O’Brien successfully challenged her removal in court. She said started taking kickboxing classes to work through the stress of the court proceedings.

“We’ve gone through the legal battle, and my whole point is: Let’s move forward, let’s get things done,” she said.

O’Brien declined to describe her relationship with Goldberg.

“I have not heard from her since this,” she said.