BOSTON -- The Cannabis Control Commission on Thursday vote 5-0 to appoint Shawn Collins, an assistant state treasurer, to be its first executive director.

The commission voted 5-0 Thursday afternoon to extend the job offer to Collins. After the commission's unanimous vote at the State House, Chairman Steven Hoffman walked roughly 150 feet down the second floor hallway to formally offer Collins the job in his Treasury office.

Collins had begun to prepare a regulatory structure for the new cannabis industry until oversight of marijuana was removed from the treasurer's direct auspices by the Legislature in a rewrite of the 2016 ballot law. Still, the commission has been relying on Collins' past work in the six weeks it has been in existence.

"It gives me even greater confidence than I've already had that we're going to create and regulate a great industry that is going to be beneficial to all the citizens of the state," Hoffman said of the commission's selection of Collins. "I just have that much more confidence that we're going to get this right."

Discussing their choice during public deliberations Thursday, the commissioners pointed to Collins' experience in Massachusetts and with the subject matter as his primary strengths. All five commissioners recommended hiring Collins and then voted unanimously to offer him the job.

"I do really think it is a significant strength to be familiar with the complexities of dealing with marijuana and the answers he gave during the interview showed me he really does get some of the nuanced issues and could hit the ground running," said Commissioner Kay Doyle, who worked with Collins when she was in charge of the state's medical marijuana program and he was preparing for full legalization.

Commissioners said their main concern with Collins is his lack of management experience, especially at the scale of the Cannabis Control Commission, but said Collins' references all indicated that he is a hard worker who is ready for his next challenge. They said his references also indicated that he could be a "taskmaster" when assigning responsibilities. He previously worked as chief of staff and general counsel to Sen. Richard Moore and served as chairman of the Webster School Committee.

"I am grateful for the unanimous support of the commission. This is an exciting opportunity to establish the agency that will develop a brand new industry in the Commonwealth," Collins said in a statement after the commission's vote. "There is plenty of work to be done and I can't wait (to) get started."

Collins told the commission during his interview Tuesday that he could start two weeks after informing Treasury that he will be departing, but said he would devote any time not spent on his job at Treasury to his new job at the commission.

The terms of the job offer extended to Collins are not entirely clear. Hoffman said the salary will be around $150,000 per year, though the commission had not finalized the terms of the offer. Collins currently earns $105,210 annually as assistant treasurer and director of policy and legislative affairs under Treasurer Deborah Goldberg.

Hoffman said he thinks the greatest immediate challenge facing Collins will be catching up on the work the five commission commissioners have done in the six weeks that they have been working as their own agency.

"He knows this subject cold, certainly better than I do, but we have been working for six weeks, we've been our own staff, we've done a lot and I think he needs to catch up so that he, A, can take stuff off our plate but, B, not be redundant in terms of workflow," he said. "He has not been part of that process."

The House chair of the Marijuana Policy Committee said Thursday he is pleased with the selection of Collins, someone he has known and worked with for almost a decade.

"It's a great choice. I have known Shawn for years and know his familiarity with this issue. He brings the knowledge of the marijuana issue but also his knowledge of government, which are two key assets to set up the Cannabis Control Comission," Rep. Mark Cusack said. "I look forward to working with him and providing any help or clarification I can along the way.