Ascend dispensary does not live up to its name. As a former employee (Feb 2026- August 2026) I can…read morepersonally testify to how poorly they treat their employees. They are racist, sexist, and most of the management team are power hungry bullies who see their employees as slaves. They have drained the life from the employees, and take any form of self expression as a threat (even the colors they wear are heavily monitored... what dispensary do you know that does that?). They pretend to care about diversity and inclusivity (it's literally like an entire training module) and then treat their employees differently based on race, sex, and ability. One of the managers, Alex, has been caught several times watching *orn at work and you can almost smell the *orn addiction on him. He can't even make eye contact with women unless they are submissive and childlike (let that sit for a second) and has clearly expressed a discomfort around black people. Many of the non black managers (Wilmarie and Mark) constantly throw around derogatory slang and think they aren't being watched/ heard. The General Manager, Lamboy, makes rude and inappropriate "jokes" about employees incompetence (sometimes in front of customers) and seems to think it's all fun and games. As employees, they take it or laugh because what do you do when your manager disguises bullying as friendly banter? The co-GM John Wood, hides his racism well, or at least he thinks he does, but refuses to take customers of color and complains about customers who can't speak good english. He also constantly raves about his old job as a correctional officer is prison, telling his subordinates about gruesome, inhumane things he ENJOYED participating in as a CO. The employees make "Ascend" what is, but management sees them as expendable. They will do anything in their power to bully out the employees that have any self worth or try to advocate for themselves. And HR sits by complicit. They recently hired a new head of HR, simply because she cares less about the employees than the last one! They hire people with physical and mental disabilities, and then act as though it is a burden and a chore to create an atmosphere where they can comfortably learn how to do their job. They constantly have people working full shifts (8 hrs) with no breaks, and then blame the employees for not advocating for themselves. Then they have the nerve to be annoyed when people start to remind them they need a break! I quit back in August, and I have only heard horrible things since. Unfortunately, work environments like this are not uncommon, but we send them a message when we see and hear what they do to their employees and customers, and continue to give them money. I left after 6 MONTHS because I knew I would never be valued or even respected there. Now imagine your favorite employee that has made your experience at Ascend since day one. They have been enduring that treatment for 3,4,5 years! Ascend is hell bent on creating a space where only those who blindly follow orders and don't advocate for themselves can "thrive." If you haven't notice the complete decline in employee morale, take a second and have a real conversation with one of the employees. They are physically and emotionally tired and extremely under appreciated.
