WEBSTER, MA / ACCESS Newswire / September 21, 2026 / Shawn Collins, founder and principal of The Homegrown Consulting Group, has been named to the Global Top 200 Cannabis Consultants directory for the second consecutive year.

The recognition reflects his work advising cannabis and hemp operators, investors, trade associations, and policymakers on regulatory strategy, compliance, licensing, and public policy.

What Does the Top 200 Cannabis Consultants Recognition Mean?

The Global Top 200 Cannabis Consultants directory was created to identify specialized professionals working across cannabis, hemp, and CBD markets internationally. Its 2026-27 edition is the publication's second, following the inaugural edition in 2025.

According to the publisher, inclusion considers a consultant's industry experience, client history, thought leadership, and participation in cannabis-related organizations and events. Collins' profile specifically identifies him as a Top 200 Cannabis Consultant for 2026-27.

For Collins, the repeat recognition reflects a practice built around interpreting regulation before it becomes an operational problem.

"Our clients are running businesses in regulated industries where the rules keep moving, and they do not have time to sit through a slide deck about it," said Collins. "They hand us the regulatory problem, we go work it, and we come back with what they should do. Landing on a list like this means our clients have been successful, which is the whole point."

Why Is Shawn Collins a Top Cannabis Regulatory Consultant?

Collins brings a rare firsthand perspective to regulatory strategy. As the former inaugural Executive Director of the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, he helped build the state's regulatory framework and later led the launch and early growth of its adult-use market. He also led the agency through the 2018 transfer of the state's medical marijuana program from the Department of Public Health, bringing patient registration, certifying providers, and medical treatment center licensing under the Commission alongside the adult-use market.

He also helped establish the Cannabis Regulators Association, or CANNRA, and served on its initial Executive Committee.

Today, Collins advises operators, investors, trade associations, and policymakers on licensing, compliance, public comments, hemp policy, state rulemaking, local oversight, and regulatory agency design.

His work increasingly focuses on where regulated markets overlap, particularly cannabis, hemp-derived beverages, and alcohol policy.

Experience Proof Points:

• Founder and Principal of The Homegrown Consulting Group
• Named to the Global Top 200 Cannabis Consultants directory in both 2025-26 and 2026-27
• Former inaugural Executive Director of the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, which oversees both the adult-use industry and the state's Medical Use of Marijuana Program
• Helped design and implement Massachusetts' adult-use cannabis regulatory framework
• Led the agency when oversight of the Massachusetts medical marijuana program transferred from the Department of Public Health to the Commission in December 2018, consolidating medical and adult-use regulation under a single agency
• Co-founder of the Cannabis Regulators Association (CANNRA)
• Former Assistant Treasurer and Policy Director in the Massachusetts State Treasury
• Former Chief of Staff and General Counsel in the Massachusetts State Senate
• Named among Boston Magazine's 100 Most Influential Bostonians in 2020
• Author of the 2026 Clinical Therapeutics article "Safeguarding Cannabis for Medical Use: Clinical Risks, Regulatory Gaps, and the Path Toward Equitable Standards"

What Does THC Group Advise Clients On?

The Homegrown Consulting Group advises cannabis and hemp operators, investors, trade associations, and policymakers on regulatory and compliance strategy.

Its work includes cannabis licensing, state rulemaking, public comments, hemp and hemp-beverage regulation, local government oversight, compliance planning, and regulatory agency design.

THC Group focuses on helping clients understand how rules are likely to be interpreted and enforced, where regulatory risk exists, and what practical steps they should take in response.

Who Is Shawn Collins of The Homegrown Consulting Group?

Shawn Collins is an attorney, regulatory strategist, and founder of The Homegrown Consulting Group, based in Webster, Massachusetts.

His career spans government, law, public policy, and industry consulting. Collins is a graduate of Suffolk University and Suffolk University Law School and is admitted to practice law in Massachusetts.

He has also been recognized beyond the cannabis industry, including being named one of Boston Magazine's 100 Most Influential Bostonians in 2020.

Today, Collins is known for bringing a practical, plainspoken approach to complex regulatory questions and for helping clients make decisions when the legal, political, and commercial stakes are high.

Connect with Shawn: Read his Policy, Decoded analysis, follow regulatory deadlines through Deadlines, Decoded, or watch and listen to The Hybrid, his cannabis policy podcast with Erik Gundersen.

Media Contact

• Shawn Collins, Founder & Principal, The Homegrown Consulting Group
• Phone: (508) 938-6658
• Email: shawn@homegrown-group.com
• Website: https://www.homegrown-group.com

SOURCE: Shawn Collins