PREFACE

I used to do well in English classes when I was at school. I also really enjoyed them. However, I knew that nothing I’d write would ever measure up to the gilded hardbacks of the literary greats or the novels that most people enjoy today. When it came time for me to start trying to find my place in the world, I decided to write, but in my own way. No, my writing wouldn’t be on a shelf with world-renowned authors, but it would have substance, and it would resonate with people. At first, I was blogging, telling stories and anecdotes on platforms like Myspace.

Before that, I also used Friendster and other sites, most of which were fighting or cannabis related. I suppose I should explain this a little more. I am a huge fan of mixed martial arts (MMA). Most people know it as Ultimate Fighting or UFC. It has gone from being almost completely unknown to one of the most popular sports organizations today. When I first started out, I was doing a good deal of leisure writing on sites that focused on the sport, because many of the mainstream news sources totally ignored it. Sherdog.com and the Underground on MMA.tv were two of the biggest sites around at the time, and that’s where I mostly wrote. I was contacted by a guy from one of these platforms, and he offered me the opportunity to write for a new website that he was working on. He gave me a weekly column, and I wrote for them for about a year.

That website was MMAWeekly.com, and that man was Ryan Bennett: a former UFC employee and a wonderful man in general. Everything was going great at MMAWeekly, but soon enough, they started to increase in popularity, and they moved on to other professional journalists, so unfortunately, I was not able to continue with them. Shortly after I left, Ryan was killed in a car accident at the young age of 35. This really was an eye-opener. Life can be over in the blink of an eye, so we should all be careful and live it to the fullest. I then wrote for another small website called MMA-Fighter. During this time, I was periodically emailing Bruce Buffer, who eventually helped me get on the UFC street team. We attended the shows as media, and I even got paid by the UFC to promote one of their shows. For the most part, however, it was a good deal of work for not much in return.

I then began cannabis journalism. Although I had been doing all of these other things, the reality of the situation was that cannabis was paying my bills. I was often torn as to the value of my interest in this wonderful plant: Was it positive or negative for my life? Dozens of people told me I should leave cannabis behind me, that it was a childish drug, and that I should set my sights on new horizons. I had an epiphany one night when I was contemplating my options. I was a very troubled and unhappy child in many ways, and I had been thinking about what would make me truly happy. I realized that what is most important is noticing what makes you smile — not what you wish made you smile, but rather the things we can’t help but smile at. These are the things that knit your personality together. They form the core of your identity. These are the things you honestly love, not just because society tells you that you should. To follow your smile is to follow your heart. Nourish your mind with what it truly enjoys, and you’ll find inner strength. You must never let anyone separate you from these things. If you do like something, then maybe it’s worth exploring. This exploration could lead you to experiences that you’ll cherish for the rest of your life. It could also lead you to people similar to you, or to places where you’ll feel at home and loved.

I enjoy cannabis, and the things related to its culture also provide me with great pleasure. Cannabis is medicinal to me, and it gives me the opportunity to enjoy life like a normal person. Being a part of this culture has allowed me to meet kindred spirits who share a similar mindset. Once I acknowledged that cannabis benefited me in so many ways, I was able to fully embrace it. In one of my posts on Overgrow.com, I discussed California’s medical marijuana laws, the effectiveness of vaporization and the different tools that are best used for that purpose. A man named Marco Renda read this post and invited me to write for his magazine, Treating Yourself, which focused on medical marijuana. He began by asking me to send him an article, and the rest was history. This was the first time that my writing had been published in print, and I wrote an article for just about every issue until the magazine ceased publication in 2013. The magazine was incredibly successful and well respected. Even today, it is considered one of the best cannabis magazines that ever was. Thanks to this experience, I have traveled the world writing articles, enjoying cannabis and meeting new people. This all sounds very exciting, but it’s worth noting that I didn’t get paid for this. Everything I was doing came out of my own pocket, with some small perks here and there. Helping people who needed cannabis in general was still providing me with the lifestyle I had become accustomed to. Regardless of the other non-cannabis-related directions I tried to steer myself toward, I was always pulled back into marijuana. I viewed this as a sign directing me to my calling. I’ve been searching for my place in the cannabis world ever since. Even now, I continue to seek to establish myself in the culture. This book is a part of that journey. I’m proud that I’m finally able to finish it now.

***

Almost everyone in our business has experienced an arrest or robbery. Moreover, I have not met one person in the cannabis world who has been seriously physically or mentally hurt as a result of consuming cannabis. The reality is, many of the laws pertaining to growing and selling cannabis are still very problematic. While some countries have taken a more progressive approach toward marijuana, many places still have very harsh laws. The more I have written and traveled, the more I have found this to be true. Countries that are more accepting of cannabis are currently in a transitional phase. Rules and regulations are constantly changing, slowly making business more feasible for some, but more difficult for most. The cost of cannabis — after all the taxes, fees and what have you — has formed a huge divide between the legal market and the black market.

This means that many lifelong cannabis advocates have been removed from the plant that they fought for and from the business that provided for them and their families financially. It’s a struggle. In many ways, the problems of the past have not been solved through legalization. Some have been made worse. For several years, I wrote articles for Treating Yourself. It was self-described as an alternative medical journal, but in reality, it was about marijuana. Almost every article and advertisement was geared toward cannabis or the community that surrounds it. However, at that time, they still had to hide. Nowadays, there are so many legal factors to consider with regard to cannabis. From obvious things, like magazines, to less obvious products related to growing. Then there are medical laws to consider in some states, and recreational laws in others. Of course, there are also CBD products in virtually every gas station and market across the country; there are all kinds of clothing and hemp-related products; there’s glass paraphernalia and artwork. There are so many things to consider across so many different aspects of the industry. Some countries have gone further than the United States with regard to legalization, with no signs of any problems arising from these policy changes. Even with all the positive numbers legally and the slowly changing penalties, people are still getting arrested! In the streets, crime surrounding marijuana is still a rampant problem.

There are huge grey areas in new laws pertaining to cannabis, specifically when it comes to the differentiation between recreational and medical marijuana. State to state, these issues can be vastly different. As such, those who enter the business of selling cannabis and cannabis-related products are left scratching their heads and jumping through hoops to try to keep on top of the ever-changing laws. There are only a few states that have developed what purports to be an entirely legitimate system for people who want to grow marijuana and provide it to recreational users or medical patients, be it at a profit or not. This basically forces many marijuana growers to operate as if it were still entirely illegal. This includes those who are in the process of trying to make their businesses legal.

The majority of banks won’t work with cannabis-related companies, so this makes things quite difficult. Deals are still often made with cash, under the radar of the local authorities. Business is carried out in cars, workplaces, hotel rooms and homes, where anything and everything can (and does) happen. Everyone in the business has heard of someone they know being robbed, arrested or worse. It’s a dangerous game, despite the way it’s portrayed in the entertainment industry. Popular culture representations couldn’t be further from the truth as they omit the reality of the risks and consequences people face to make business possible. The positive side of things is thrust into the spotlight, and the negative side is usually so exaggerated that becomes fantastical or even comedic.

When I’m interviewed about my time working in the cannabis industry, people always ask about the negative stuff. Anything from close calls to the true stories of tragedy that I know of or have lived through personally. People love that side of things. While I receive a lot of support for my other accomplishments, most people want to hear about the scary stuff. This book is a collection of those bad experiences. I hope you enjoy them, but I also hope that they help some of you. Some names and details have been omitted or changed to protect those involved.

CHAPTER 1

THE AVERAGE STONER-TURNED DEALER

In school, I was not popular. Life was mundane and repetitive. I was looking for an escape. I had taken D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) classes in grade school, and when I found myself dwelling on my dissatisfaction in life and my lack of social status, I thought about what I had learned in D.A.R.E. It might sound kind of silly, but I thought about the way that the police officers had described drug users having or searching for an escape from reality. They were unhappy, and so, they used drugs to help them feel better. I thought about the euphoria that drugs supposedly provided these people, and although I knew it would be short-lived and possibly life-ruining, I started looking for my escape with drugs.

The first thing I found was my mom’s cigarettes, which did make me feel better about myself, as I was doing something forbidden. However, it didn’t provide me with the feelings I was looking for or the type of escape I craved Next was alcohol. This was a much more difficult learning experience. I remember thinking that the stuff I was drinking must have gone bad, or that something had to be wrong with it. The harshness of my ingestion meant I didn’t enjoy it; in fact, it felt like drinking fire. I wasn’t drinking enough to get drunk or escape from my problems. The one time I did drink enough, I took it too far. I was so sick that I decided I never wanted to do it again.

Then I found marijuana. At first, it didn’t really affect me much. Maybe I didn’t take enough, but it had promise. Marijuana was easy to consume. The smoke was more enjoyable than my mom’s cigarettes, and it was a fast-acting substance. After a few minutes, I could gauge the degree to which it was affecting me and if I wanted more. Dr. Dre’s album “The Chronic” led to a huge increase in cannabis use. However, prior to this, Cypress Hill released a self-titled album that included multiple songs proclaiming their love of getting high. This was the first time I had ever heard someone depict smoking weed as cool and fun to do. Dr. Dre is often cited as a key influence, but I think the guys from Cypress Hill really deserve the credit for bringing cannabis into the mainstream for the kids of my generation.

Anyway, back to my story. The first time I really got high was before watching the movie “Friday.” My friends and I had all gathered at the United Artists Theater in North Hollywood to watch Ice Cube’s character smoke weed. We had planned to get high, too, in solidarity, so that we could enjoy the movie in the correct state of mind. We walked across the street to the park, found a tree behind the tennis courts and started blazing it up. Our friend had given us a broken ceramic pipe with a skull head bowl, and we could barely get the bowl loaded without blowing out the screen. We were total amateurs, but we managed to get a little high and walked over to the theater and enjoyed the movie. The feeling you get the first time you’re high on cannabis differs from person to person, but for all of us, it was oddly similar. All of us remember the experience vividly. We all felt light in the toes, almost as if we were walking on clouds. There was a feeling of disconnect, as if we were watching ourselves, rather than living our experiences. A clear haze seemed to fog my vision, and everything seemed much less serious and more enjoyable. Food tasted incredible.

My thoughts were generally more pleasing. There was a very slight hint of exhaustion as I approached the end of my high. This was followed by a somewhat dirty feeling, as though I needed to eat a healthy meal to clean out my body. Aside from these aftereffects, the high was essentially harmless. I was in love, and, from that point on, when I could afford to get it, I would find it and enjoy. My friends were not as into smoking pot as I was, but they would, on occasion, decide to get some or join me for a smoke.

Life moved on. Eventually, I got a job carpooling with an older Black gentleman who also smoked. He was far more experienced than me, and after a short amount of time working together, we were getting high every day before and after work. Eventually, we started getting high at lunch too. It was getting expensive, even with my job, and so, I started buying in bulk to save more money. That is how it all began for me. Soon enough, I was selling off some of what I bought to pay for my own smoking habit. I remember the first time I bought in bulk: an ounce for about $400. By the time I went out that night, I already had $400 back in my pocket. It was a really eye-opening experience, especially as someone who had never made more than minimum wage. Keep in mind that, at that time, everything was completely illegal, and there was no such thing as medical marijuana. For the next three years, I dealt out of my apartment — and had some very wild experiences.

Many of my stories from around that time are good fun, and the people involved were great friends. Hell, this was possibly the best time of my life. But I had no idea then how risky it really was.

CHAPTER 2

BREAKING MY DOOR DOWN

My first robbery was about a year or so into living in Encino, California. (CLICK HERE FOR LINKS TO BUY THE BOOK)