Issue 23: Big Checks for Small Businesses at Elevate NE's Pitch Competition
Plus, a growing pile of accusations levied against a local cannabis CEO.
Welcome to the 23rd edition of Burn After Reading! This is my newsletter on cannabis (and other things). You can check out last week’s issue here, and if you haven’t subscribed yet, please do.
A total of $200,000 was given away to social equity applicants last night in Worcester, as Elevate Northeast held their first ever Live Social Equity Pitch Competition.
Three companies were awarded $50,000 by the judges:
La Bodeguita — a Lowell-based company that hopes to obtain social consumption and delivery licenses. They plan on making the social consumption space a speakeasy-style lounge in the back of a ordinary looking bodega.
Delivered, Inc —Based out of Holyoke, this cannabis delivery company is the brainchild of Worcester resident Jackson Mejia and Fitchburg-born Ruben Seyde.
LowKey — This applicant is close to opening a dispensary in Dorchester, and is one of the few companies that is attempting to open a cultivation center within the City of Boston.
Additionally, two companies won the public vote, and were awarded $25,000:
Bando Alternative Group Delivery — With “bando” being slang for an abandoned building, BAGD is looking to convert a disused building into a cannabis delivery hub.
Teddy’s Veggies — Based out of Worcester, this company is looking to use their legacy market experience to produce some of the highest quality bud in the state.
Check out this preview of the event I did for a full run-down of all the finalists.
A number of serious allegations have been levied against Seun Adedeji, CEO of Elev8 Cannabis — a company that operates retail stores in Athol, MA and Eugene, OR.
Posts detailing some of the allegations against Adedeji started popping up on Reddit a little over a month ago, but it was only recently that the accounts of his problematic behavior became so numerous that they became impossible to brush aside.
Allegations against Adedji include:
Reports of inappropriate sexual behavior, harassment, and assault.
Abusive behavior towards staff; including these bizarre, rambling emails.
An October arrest that resulted in charges including; open and gross lewdness, lewd, wanton & lascivious conduct, indecent exposure, disorderly conduct, and disturbing the peace.
Miraculously, it appears that Elev8 remains operational. A number of posts on social media have said the store appears to remain open, and their online shopping portal also appears to still be accepting orders. Elev8’s shelves remained stocked with a number of well known brands, although it remains to be seen if these companies will continue to fulfill future orders from the company.
The Cannabis Control Commission has said they are aware of the allegations against Adedeji.
Friend of the newsletter Grant Smith-Ellis has been keeping a close eye on this situation, so be sure to follow him on social media for any future updates with this story.
* I must add the disclaimer that Adedji is presumed innocent until proven guilty, but c’mon now..
A special THANK YOU to all my new subscribers, particularly those of you who have purchased a paid subscription. This weekly newsletter will always remain free, but I’m going to be putting out some exclusive content for paid subscribers in the coming days.
Obviously, it’s pretty disappointing news that Gannett has frozen Worcester Magazine’s freelance budget, resulting in Cannabis Confidential being put on hiatus until 2023. However, I’m not going to let this stop me from continuing to carve out a career in the cannabis media landscape.
If you haven’t grabbed a paid subscription yet, here’s a special discount that will be available the rest of the holiday season.
I’ll be sharing some further thoughts on this situation and my future doing work for WoMag at a later date, but for now I’ll say this: I’m really proud of the work I’ve done there, and I urge you to support some other WoMag regulars who have jumped into the Substack game, including:
Shaun Connolly — a Worcester comedian who pens a weekly column that offers bad advice.
Matt Tota — a columnist that covers the local beer scene here in MA.
If any subscribers have feedback on content that they would like to see in this space, please send me your thoughts.
I’m also in the early stages of considering taking on an advertiser or two for this newsletter. This will be limited to products I use or companies/organizations that I like, with a strong preference towards small, locally owned businesses (MSOs need not apply). If you’re a business owner and this opportunity interests you, reach out.
Quick hits
New England
Cannabis prices plummeting; some predict business shutdowns (Henry Schwan/Worcester Telegram) 🔒
The Winners of the High Times Cannabis Cup Massachusetts: People’s Choice Edition 2022 (High Times)
Rhode Island’s First Recreational Marijuana Shops Have Officially Opened (Kyle Jaeger/Marijuana Moment)
Building Massachusetts' First Cannabis Microbusiness (Theresa Bennett/Cannabis Business Times)
National / Rest of U.S.
Cannabis giant Curaleaf just laid off over 200 employees as the industry's downturn deepens (Jeremy Berke/Business Insider)
Marijuana software firm Springbig laying off nearly 25% of workforce (MJBizDaily)
Nevada Regulators Award State’s First Marijuana Consumption Lounge Licenses In Lottery Drawings (Kyle Jaeger/Marijuana Moment)
Smoke and mirrors: Inside the murky $200M effort to kickstart NY’s marijuana industry (Brad Racino and Sean Teehan/Syracuse.com)
International
International Cannabis Reform Ramps Up in Europe, South America (Andrew Ward/Green Market Report)
Ireland Aims To Legalize Cannabis For Personal Use (Dario Sabaghi/Forbes)
Upcoming New England / Virtual Cannabis Events
12/3: MCR Labs Science Fair
12pm-5pm. Harvard Science Center. Free
2pm-4pm. Skydog Farm. Scituate, RI. Free.
12/3+12/4: Ricky Williams Massachusetts Tour
Various locations, check the link for full details.
12/8: Cannabis Control Commission Meeting
10am-Forever (just kidding, probably like 4pm though). Online.
WELCOME DISTRACTION
I want to talk about the amazing season finale of Andor — but considering I’ve already hyped that show twice in this space — how about this instead:
Good Rivals.
This documentary is the first big project from Meadowlark Media, a media company founded by Dan LeBatard and John Skipper following their separate exits from ESPN. It examines the soccer rivalry between the US and Mexico, from Mexico’s 43 year unbeaten streak against the USMNT, to America’s recent soccer resurgence.
Good Rivals is a three-part series, and is available on Amazon Prime.
CAT OF THE WEEK
Brockton!
It’s been a while since I’ve highlighted the original COTW, so here’s some recent shots of my partner in crime.
