Cannabis on the Learning Curve: A Conversation About Regulatory Compliance and Diversity & Inclusion in the Cannabis Sector

June 30, 2021
Dan Adams of the Boston Glob

Although its early days were controversial, the cannabis sector in Massachusetts is now a thriving part of the business landscape. According to Dan Adams of the Boston Globe, cannabis sales have now reached over $1.5 billion in Massachusetts, since the start of the recreational and adult use market in November 2018. A recovery from the shutdown of many retailers during the pandemic also seems imminent, with celebratory 4/20 sales totaling $4.21 million.


But the cannabis sector is unique and its value can’t be measured by sales figures alone. Unique among such a fast-growing and highly regulated industry, the Massachusetts cannabis sector has a statutory and regulatory obligation to make substantial efforts towards racial and gender diversity and inclusion and create a positive impact on local communities affected by the history of cannabis prohibition. In this interview, attorney Richard M. Juang, Of Counsel to Royal LLP speaks with two leading businesswomen who provide critical services to the cannabis sector: Ashley Boucher, Founder of Quality Control Analytics, which provides regulatory compliance training, and Danielle Schumacher, Co-founder and President of THC Staffing Group, which provides executive-level recruitment and diversity & inclusion consulting. In this conversation, we take a birds-eye view of the landscape for regulatory compliance and for diversity and inclusion in the industry, and talk about what aspiring entrepreneurs should keep in mind as they seek to launch.


Richard M Juang (RJ): First, thank you both so much for doing this interview. Cannabis is a major and still-growing industry here in Western Massachusetts. Many of our cities and towns have welcomed cannabis businesses. I wanted to speak with you both because you both run businesses that are ancillary, but critical to the success of “plant-touching” parts of the sector. You both have a solid track record and see a lot of of what’s going on both statewide and nationally. Can I start by asking you to introduce yourselves?


Ashley Boucher (AB): It’s a pleasure to speak with you. I’m the owner and founder of Quality Control Analytics. QCA was the first accredited responsible vendor trainer here in Massachusetts. We provide compliance training to cannabis companies throughout the state and offer consulting with data and data analysis. Responsible Vendor Training is a curriculum that’s required for every employee in the Massachusetts cannabis industry, initially at hire and then yearly afterwards.


Personally, I came out of working in data and compliance in the medical industry. When the cannabis industry started in Massachusetts, I thought it was a great time to take my expertise and knowledge from the medical world over into cannabis. I started off as a manufacturing manager, but when the responsible vendor training opportunity came up, I left and founded QCA.


Danielle Schumacher (DS): Happy to be here. THC Staffing Group is a national consulting firm specializing in finding qualified executive, managerial and professional employees for cannabis businesses. We also have a specific focus on helping companies be genuinely inclusive, from the start.

I’m from Illinois and got involved in cannabis advocacy and policy work in the early 2000s as a student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I was involved with Students for Sensible Drug Policy. For 10 years before starting THC Staffing Group, I worked for dispensaries, a doctor’s office, and in large scale cultivation centers. I also created the first curriculum at Oaksterdam University, which was the first cannabis college. So, when I co-founded THC Staffing Group in 2014, it was one of the first specialized cannabis recruitment companies, but it was also a culmination of the work that Shaleen and I had been doing. From the start, we wanted to specifically focus on creating more diversity in the industry and to figure out ways to help companies truly be more inclusive. Personally, my very specific goal has always been to do whatever I can to help create sustainable employment for people who have been incarcerated due to the war on drugs.


RJ: The timing and growth of both your firms tracks the growth of the recreational and adult use cannabis sector in Massachusetts, from the time of its legalization to now. My own start with the cannabis industry was from the regulatory side, as one of the attorneys brought on by the Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) to help write the first set of regulations. My recollection of the early days is that I saw enormous entrepreneurial enthusiasm and a real commitment on all sides to racial and gender diversity. But I also recall thinking that navigating a highly regulated industry is inherently difficult and I couldn’t tell whether or not the sector would really thrive or whether it would be dominated by a handful of major, well-capitalized companies. Now, it’s clearly become a thriving industry with both small and large operators, despite a lot of challenges. Ashley, what do you see as the major regulatory and compliance issues that cannabis businesses face, and what should they look out for in the near future?


AB: Currently, it really depends where you are in the industry. If you are a cultivator, you might say, for example, “my biggest compliance challenge is not using certain pesticides on plants.” A manufacturer might say “purging out my extracts to have only a specific level of butane or a specific level of a residual solvent left.” So specific compliance issues depend on where you are in the industry.


Overall, the biggest challenge that cannabis companies face when we’re thinking about compliance is having good communication in your establishment. If your operational teams aren’t communicating effectively, you’re going to have a hard time maintaining compliance. Employees need the education to know what a compliance failure is, in the first place, and what needs to be reported. Then employees have to know what to do if they do witness or suspect any compliance failures. Who do they communicate to?

RJ: Are there recommendations that you’d make for the CCC to help businesses?


AB: I do think that some of the compliance challenges come from the need to clarify some of the regulations. In the medical world, when I had to do any internal audits, one of the best things that helped was that I would get a huge booklet of everything we have to maintain in the lab. It would also have a list of what’s acceptable for cited evidence of compliance. So having a checklist from the CCC and a higher level of transparency and communication with regulators would be tremendously helpful: basically, a way for businesses to know what records to maintain and how they’ll be evaluated for compliance.


In the industry itself, I think that the industry is going to start considering some more Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CMGP) standards so that we have more consistency in the products that are being delivered to the market.


RJ: Is that something you see coming in the sector?

AB: Yes. When you go into some establishments now, you see that they’re already ahead of the curve, and they’re implementing some of those CGMP standards. For example, you see that they’ve paid attention to the physical construction of the establishment and that have training to ensure quality manufacturing procedures and training on hazardous substances. The result is that employees are safe and the products that are going to consumers are also safe. Those standards might become regulatory requirements at some point. There are groups out groups out in Colorado in Washington that are really pushing for better standardization of the manufacturing processes in the cannabis industry, now, and the codification of those standards in regulations. I think Massachusetts may start seeing that as well.


RJ: Ashley, that makes a great deal of sense. While regulators should avoid, I think, stifling entrepreneurial creativity, having consistent regulations about consistent practices is probably good, when it doesn’t lead to a loss of creativity or growth.

Danielle, THC Staffing Group sees diversity in the cannabis workforce as both an ethical principle and good business sense. As you know, it’s also a cornerstone of public policy in Massachusetts. From your perspective with recruitment and hiring, what do you see as challenges and recommendations for the cannabis sector, going forward?


DS: I think there’s a big risk of a lack of planning and underinvestment in hiring. Breaking into the cannabis business is expensive and complicated and it’s an extremely competitive industry. So, when a business starts up, there’s a real sense of urgency: companies often feel that they need to hire as quickly as possible, as many people as possible, while spending as little as possible. This can make hiring a diverse workforce difficult. The problem isn’t a lack of racial or gender diversity in the talent pool; it’s that there hasn’t been the planning or the time to do recruitment well when a new company is having to move really quickly and has to get set up in harsh financial conditions and in a complicated regulatory context.


RJ: I think it’s pretty common for entrepreneurs in any sector to rely heavily on personal networks for finding good hires when they’re starting out and even after they’re established. And if one’s personal networks are not racially diverse, then the result is not going to be a racially diverse hiring pipeline. What do you recommend companies do?


DS: First, plan ahead and make a recruitment strategy part of the business plan from the start, not after everything else is set up. Second, recognize that the drug wars have had severe negative consequences for Black and Indigenous communities. For white entrepreneurs, relying on personal networks alone is simply not a sufficient way to do recruitment, especially in the cannabis sector.


RJ: That makes sense. And I think the CCC’s licensing requirements promote businesses breaking out of personal networks and engaging with communities of color when hiring, not just putting a posting online and hoping that candidates of color and women will see it.


DS: Yes, cultivating community relations and cultivating a wider network is really important. That’s certainly something that THC Staffing does for clients.

AB: In Massachusetts, community engagement is also part of the regulatory landscape.


DS: And that leads into the challenge of retaining a diverse workforce. If you take the time to really get to know the local communities and communities of color and truly support the work that’s being done within those communities, you’ll have a better chance of building a welcoming workplace and retaining good employees.


RJ: Agreed. From an attorney’s perspective, there can be a big gap between legal compliance and actually having a welcoming workplace. There are important policies and procedures that all companies need to have, like anti-retaliation policies for when employees raise a concern about discrimination or harassment. But those policies need to be supported by managerial competence, which includes competence in managing a diverse workforce and also making sure to eliminate racial and gender bias in key things like evaluations, promotion, and wages.


How do the two of you think the sector’s doing so far?

DS: I think we’re still learning. Right now, I find that initially, many companies start off with a diverse workforce because they’re hiring from the communities that they’re located in. But if we look at the retention of employees of color, that’s a different story. So the big question now isn’t how do cannabis companies attract and recruit a diverse workforce, but how do they retain a diverse workforce?


AB: And part of retaining that workforce is also making the workplace a safe place to learn. Even in a highly regulated environment where maintaining compliance and standards is essential, workplaces also need to be a safe place for people to make mistakes and learn from them. The cannabis workplace needs to be a place where people are able to learn from mistakes and grow. And by reducing turnover rates, your compliance is going to improve.


DS: Because — and this goes back to your earlier point about communication and education, Ashley — companies will have better internal communications about good practices and better institutional knowledge, if there’s less turnover.

RJ: Thank you both for these insights. It’s always a pleasure to work with you both and thank you for your time.

Richard M. Juang, is Of Counsel to The Royal Law Firm, LLP, Springfield MA and Hartford CT. Ashley Boucher is the Founder of Quality Control Analytics, Assonet MA. Danielle Schumacher is the President and Co-Founder of THC Staffing Group, Chicago IL.


The article can be found here: https://danielle-thcstaffing.medium.com/cannabis-on-the-learning-curve-a-conversation-about-regulatory-compliance-and-diversity-2c00790330c6

Can I Fire Someone for That? Common Myths That Get Employers Sued

By The Royal Law Firm • August 19, 2025
Employers regularly wonder: “Can I fire someone for that?” You might assume the answer is simple, especially in an at-will state like Massachusetts. But the reality is more complex. Missteps can land your business in court. Here’s how to avoid them and keep your company focused on growth, not litigation. Myth: “At-Will Means Any Reason Goes” At-will employment allows termination without contractual cause. Yet anti-discrimination laws and retaliation protections still apply. Even a valid reason, like poor performance, becomes risky if the employee recently complained about harassment, requested an accommodation, or reported a safety issue. Terminating soon after a complaint invites legal trouble. For example, consider firing Sarah for repeated tardiness. But what if she reported sexual harassment a few weeks earlier? Timing alone can create exposure. Document performance issues as they arise. Also, check if the employee recently returned from Family and Medical Leave (FMLA) or Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML). A Springfield auto repair shop faced a claim after firing a worker the day after he returned from PFML to care for his newborn. The company blamed tardiness, but the timing triggered months of legal headaches. Myth: “No Documentation Needed” Some employers assume that no paperwork is necessary under at-will rules. That approach creates unnecessary risk. Without records, even lawful firings appear questionable. Weak evidence damages credibility. Imagine Tom, a low performer who never received formal feedback. If you fire him after years of positive reviews, expect scrutiny. Always provide timely written warnings and accurate performance evaluations. Keep emails, attendance records, and coaching notes. Would your records persuade a jury that the termination was justified? Myth: “We Treated Everyone Fairly” Fair treatment requires consistency. If one employee is fired and another is only warned for the same violation, questions follow. Consider two salespeople, Mike and Jose, both caught inflating sales numbers. Mike receives a warning. Jose gets fired. If Jose claims racial bias, inconsistent discipline strengthens his argument. Review prior disciplinary decisions. Can you show a clear record of equal treatment? Myth: “We Can Share the Reason Widely” Managers sometimes explain a termination too broadly, believing transparency protects the company. In reality, public disclosure creates legal risk. An employee fired for theft sued his employer after leadership announced it to the entire staff. Even truthful statements, shared excessively or with ill will, can spark defamation claims. A local example: a Chicopee retailer emailed all employees naming a worker fired for alleged cash shortages. That email became Exhibit A in court. Limit disclosure to those who truly need to know. Avoiding Retaliation Claims Retaliation is the most common EEOC claim. Firing someone after they complain about discrimination, request leave, or raise pay concerns often leads to lawsuits. Subtle actions can count too—cutting hours, assigning undesirable shifts, or excluding them from meetings. Did Lisa report a wage issue last week? If she now gets the worst shifts, her attorney will call it punishment. Train managers to pause and ask: “Does this look like payback?” In one Springfield restaurant, a server who complained about tips was fired days later for “attitude.” The MCAD viewed the timing as retaliation, and the case settled quickly. Managing the Termination Meeting Professionally How you fire someone matters. Keep the meeting short and calm. Speak plainly. Avoid debate. Bring a neutral witness, usually HR. Disable system access and collect company property immediately. For remote workers, coordinate IT to end access during the call. Have you prepared your team to stay composed when an employee gets angry or upset? A concise, professional exit reduces emotion and litigation risk. Reducing Risks Before They Occur You can prevent most legal problems with proactive steps. Train managers to document consistently. Encourage employees to raise concerns early, and respond appropriately when they do. Also, follow Massachusetts requirements: final wages and accrued vacation must be paid promptly, sometimes the same day. Missing or delaying a payment can trigger penalties. Review whether your managers apply standards uniformly. Track disciplinary trends by department or supervisor. In one Holyoke warehouse, inconsistent discipline across shifts led to multiple claims that could have been avoided with routine audits. Quick Pre-Termination Checklist Document the issue in writing. Confirm whether the employee recently exercised protected rights (complaint, FMLA, PFML, workers’ comp). Ensure similar cases were handled consistently. Complete a fair investigation and allow the employee to respond. Prepare final pay and unused vacation in compliance with Massachusetts law. Bottom Line Employee terminations happen. Legal trouble does not have to. Careful documentation, consistent actions, and thoughtful communication protect your business. Before acting, stop and ask: have we done this right? Taking these steps helps you confidently answer, “Can I fire someone for that?” That answer should never rest on guesswork. Michael P. Lewis, is an attorney who specializes in labor and employment-law matters at the Royal Law Firm LLP , a woman-owned, women-managed corporate law firm that is certified as a women’s business enterprise with the Massachusetts Supplier Diversity Office, the National Assoc. of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms, and the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council. If your business has any questions on this topic or any other matters, please do not hesitate to contact the attorneys at The Royal Law Firm at 413-586-2288. Michael P. Lewis wrote this article which was featured in BusinessWest. Click here to visit their website.

The Royal Law Firm Attorneys Receive Finding of No Reasonable Cause at CHRO.

By The Royal Law Firm • August 18, 2025
Royal attorneys successfully obtained a dismissal at the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities. The Complainant alleged discrimination based on race, color and mental disability. Royal attorneys argued that the Complainant failed to establish a prima facie case of discrimination and complainant could not prove that they experienced an adverse employment action. The CHRO agreed with our argument and dismissed the case against our client due to a lack of reasonable cause.