“‘You fuck with me I’m gonna come for your everybody. Your whole family tree’ and again imitated the sound of a gun being fired.”
If you do a surface-level search online for Elev8 Cannabis in Athol, you will probably find headlines like “Nation’s Youngest Black Cannabis Dispensary Owner Celebrates One-Year Anniversary,” “Athol’s Elev8 Cannabis dispensary to focus on equity and inclusion,” and “Cannabis retailer Elev8 celebrates successful first year.”
But those who follow insider accounts, watchdog blogs, and industry groups—or who know people who worked directly with or for Elev8 owner Seun Adedeji—have seen a different side of the story unfold over the past few months. And with last week’s summary suspension order of “all agent registrations associated with [Elev8] … and the cessation of all licensed operations” after “having determined that” the company, “through the acts of its majority owner, poses an immediate or serious threat to the public health, safety, or welfare,” the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission has now documented many of the dispensary’s dirty details in a timeline that also includes happenings around Adedeji’s dispensary in Eugene, Oregon of the same name.
With employees of the Athol shop blowing whistles about erratic and abusive behavior by the owner and apparent regulatory violations, in February the CCC “issued a Notice of Intent to Limit Sales of Marijuana and Marijuana Products to [Elev8] … due to substantial noncompliance with Commission laws,” “identified ten substantial violations of Commission regulations,” and “mandated [Elev8] take corrective action to address each of the deficiencies by March 9, 2023.”
Even though the notice indicated that “failure to take corrective action by that date could result in the Commission issuing an order prohibiting [Elev8] from selling Marijuana and Marijuana Products at its Athol store,” things seem to have gotten worse after the warning. As the CCC summary notes, Adedeji fired employees who were cited in the state’s notice, spurring the “General Manager of the Athol retail store [to resign] in protest of Mr. Adedeji’s conduct towards and termination of the Interim Chief Executive Officer.” Meanwhile, Elev8’s “General Manager of the Oregon retail store and all Oregon retail staff also resigned.”
And that’s when shit really started getting crazy. “On March 22, 2023, Mr. Adedeji informed Enforcement staff that ‘store is closed, we are fully compliant ccc recording regulation. Temporarily closed. Business decision as we charter blue ocean [wave emoji],’ then later the same day “recorded and posted a five-minute video on his Instagram account.” Highlights, as documented by the CCC, include:
- Mr. Adedeji stated that Athol retail store was open for business and indicated that he was there alone. Mr. Adedeji shouted “and for my all old employees, if you step on my fucking property without my permission, bro, on god, you will feel it”;
- Mr. Adedeji continued, “goofy ass people fucking, fucking with my business, don’t ever fuck with my business. Y’all goofy ass boy. I’ll put a bounty on you…on god, if you ever fuck with me. Fuck with my business, Ima dog you. Ima dog you. Ima fuck you, you fuck with my business, I would dog you” and then said “bang, bang” and made a hand gesture imitating a hand gun;
- Mr. Adedeji also yelled “you touch my business, I will kill you.” Mr. Adedeji then paused and said “no, boy. I will not kill you. You fuck with me I’m gonna come for your everybody. Your whole family tree” and again imitated the sound of a gun being fired;
- Mr. Adedeji used the phrase “catch these ones” twice and “I will fuck you” numerous times and shouted if he catches anyone, he will “dog you” and to not ever disrespect him and that there “ain’t no way you can run, I will find you and I will dog you”;
- Mr. Adedeji again warned staff not to “come on [his] property if you are not here to work bitch.” Mr. Adedeji also stated “I pay your bills and you got the nerve to disrespect me bitch. I’ll dog you and everybody else. Disrespect me, hoe” and if “anybody got a problem, pull the fuck up, gang.”
We’re not sure exactly how this story will end, but we’re pretty sure you won’t be buying weed at Elev8 any time soon.
