Sorry Waayne for mis-spelling your name in my original post but I blame it on auto-correct...Thank you again for your kind words... As you know, my store opened in 1980 and was a ground breaking way to sell high tech garden equipment. I treated it like a stereo store with four different sized grow rooms that were growing plants like cucumbers, tomatoes and basil. Most hydro stores back then just had inventory just laying all over the store, some not even on shelves and nobody grew plants in their store. Many Portland, Oregon stores had pit bulls that greeted you as you came into the store smelling your crotch and some stores had employees that had handguns on their belts. I feel I professionalized the indoor grow store and was the model of how to set up and run one.
When they stole my store in 1989 I was as famous as Ed or Jorge (who both are very good friends) since from 1984-1988 I had been the main guest up on the stage or at the desk on Donahue, Geraldo, Nightline, Today, CBS Morning News, numerous local tv shows and radio talk shows. None of the other writers or authors of that period were willing to take on the DEA and the prohibition politicians in the national media. I went toe to toe with them, was not willing to take their propaganda shit and was one of the reasons they tried to take me out in Operation Green Merchant. When the DEA stole my garden store in 1989 they used civil forfeiture with no criminal charges. But they threatened me, my then wife (now ex) and the corporation with criminal conspiracy if I fought to get the forfeited merchandise back. I wanted to go around the country and give speeches and raise money for a defense fund, but the specter of them throwing me in jail and losing my family for writing and publishing how to grow articles and selling garden supplies was too much to bear.
The reason the info in Since Tips was so advanced and interesting was because the growers in the hills, in their homes and in warehouses were writing the articles. Much like this site is the same way.
Since this all happened 25-30 years ago, a lot of the people involved in the industry have never heard of me, since many weren't even born yet. I hope to change all that in the next few years...
Well, I am back in the saddle, on the horse and trying to figure out what to do in the emerging Cannabis industry. One thing is for sure. The newbies & Vulture, er, I mean Venture Capitalists who are jumping on the Green Rush want nothing to do with anybody who had anything to do with Cannabis before the Green Rush. Well fuck them. I am defending and fighting for the small to medium growers while newbie Green Rushers will fight for the corporate controlled mega farmer treating it like a Budweiser beer brewery. Cooperatives and Collectives will be the saving grace for small to medium growers. They are already forming in Oregon, Washington and California. Stay tuned...
