A swath of regulatory changes are coming to Massachusetts’ cannabis industry, including measures to clear the way for people with past criminal records to work in marijuana shops and to allow all cities and towns to eventually host cannabis cafes.

In late July, the Cannabis Control Commission unanimously approved draft regulations intended to reflect the cannabis industry reform law former Gov. Charlie Baker signed last summer. The commission has spent the last few months re-writing the regulations that have been in place since legal marijuana sales started in 2018.

The changes seek to increase diversity in the field, ramp up oversight on agreements between marijuana businesses and municipalities – a chronic trouble spot for the young industry – and move closer to social pot consumption sites.

“We can protect the health and safety of our citizens while reducing … overly cumbersome and costly regulatory burdens, which help more businesses achieve and maintain profitability,” Chairwoman Shannon O’Brien said.

The commission is planning a public hearing Sept. 8 to accept public comments on the proposals in the draft regulations. Following that hearing, the commission will vote on final regulations concerning HCAs, municipal equity and the suitability hiring policies. Last year’s law requires that these regulations be distributed by the Secretary of State by Nov. 9. Though it is not beholden to the same Nov. 9 deadline, the commission is also seeking to move closer to authorizing social consumption sites, such as cannabis cafes.

Commissioners eliminated a previously existing pilot program which would have initially limited social consumption sites to no more than 12 municipalities – thereby allowing any city or town to opt-in to hosting one of these establishments once the licenses become available.

Asked about a timeline for these businesses to be able to legally operate, Commissioner Bruce Stebbins, one of the commissioners leading the working group on social consumption sites, said he would like to say “as soon as possible.”

“We just finished getting the results of a survey back I think about a week or two ago, so our internal team is still looking at the results of that survey … I also know we’re doing additional work of looking at what other states have done,” Stebbins said. “But I will tell you that our working group continues to meet and, again, we want to try to bring something once we feel it’s good to go.”