August 22, 2023 • 45 mins
The Original Green Cross Torrance™ is a fully permitted cannabis dispensary that is proud to serve and offer home delivery to 21+ and medicinal patients in the South Bay since 2006. At Green Cross, they’re passionate about cannabis and the education around it. When it comes to cannabis, your individual needs and desires dictate your cannabis product needs. Check them out on IG @theoriginalgreencross & online at www.originalgreencross.com to shop premium cannabis brands today. If you're in the South Bay, be sure to drop in on them anytime between 8 am to 9:55 pm at The Original Green Cross Torrance™, located at 1658 West Carson St. Suite B Torrance, CA 90501.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's on Munchie's tonight.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
Yo, it's Cannabis Talk one oh one. You go line
today did with Blue and.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
Reefer Man right, Olahoma one of the Cannabis Talk one
on one, the world's number one source for everything cannabis.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
My name is Blue. Along the side of.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
Me is mister Joe Grande and you're now tuned in
to the greatest cannabis show on the planet.
Speaker 4 (00:19):
That's right, folks, thank you for listening to our podcast,
Cannabis Talk one on one all.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Around the world.
Speaker 4 (00:23):
Make sure you check out the website Cannabis Talk one
oh one dot com as you have so many great
articles and blogs on the site for you to check
out and so many good readings.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
You could also click on the link for.
Speaker 4 (00:32):
The Cannabis Talk magazine at the very top right there.
Make sure you give us a call anytime one eight
hundred and four twenty nineteen eighty and go check on
our ig pages at Cannabis Talk one oh one.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Well, my brother from another brother, Blue is at the
number one.
Speaker 4 (00:45):
Christopher Wright, Hello, and I am at Joe Bronde fifty two.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
And y'all know what time it is in here, right,
dog dog? That's right. I think Higher with Diamond Industries.
Speaker 4 (00:53):
Find them in California, Arizona, and Oklahoma and abroad in
other countries.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Now as well.
Speaker 4 (00:58):
Check them out online and Dime Industries dot Com on
Instagram at Dime dot Industries Today on the podcast We
Have You Guys. One of the driving forces behind one
of the biggest dispensaries in southern California besides US is
the CEO Rafia Chavez Rock and Chris Ward, the black
Skin brother over there sales director at the original Green
(01:20):
Cross Torrents, a fully permitted cannabis dispensary that is proud
to serve and offers some delivery to twenty one and overs,
you guys, and medicine is their patient's value. Right there
in the South Bay, they've been rocking since two thousand
and six. They're also proud to be fully in compliance
with California's involving cannabis laws, which ensures your safety both
in store and at your home when you purchase cannabis
(01:43):
from green Cross.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
You guys.
Speaker 4 (01:45):
At green Cross, they're passionate about their cannabis and the
education around it, which I love. When it comes to cannabis,
your individual needs and desires dictate your cannabis product needs. Luckily,
the highly knowledgeable staff will guide you and get you
what you need. They'll match you up perfectly, you guys.
Check them out on Instagram at the Original Green Cross.
(02:05):
That's t h e O r I g I n
A l g R e e n c r O
s s the Original Green Cross and online Original Greencross
dot Com to shop for premium cannabis brands today. Go
check them all out, you guys, and see what you're
looking for. They're in the South Bay.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Don't come.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
I'll call it a comeback, folks.
Speaker 4 (02:22):
They've been there for years, so it's not like, oh,
where is this spot at It's the same spot it's
always been. Be sure to drop in on them anytime
eight am to nine to fifty five at the Original
Green Cross Torrents, located at one six five eight West
Carson Street. Look for that sweet bee in Torrents, California,
nine zero five oh one. Without further ado, folks, put
your hands together for mister help me out in Rillo.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Welcome you guys. You like that?
Speaker 5 (02:49):
Hey, thank you?
Speaker 1 (02:49):
You like that?
Speaker 5 (02:50):
Love it?
Speaker 4 (02:51):
You know it's funny. I just started on this podcast.
I don't think you ever heard of me or seating me.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
I've heard of you, so it's funny, never even been
on a mic before you being I don't even know
this yet, but are you from the bay because you
know me from the doghouse, So where are you from?
I look at Joe getting this a clap out about that?
Go ahead, put me up real quick. Well, like he said,
he looks at me and he calls me me. Oh,
he was a fan.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
Everybody was a fan at that time. You were a fan.
I could be so cocky and arrogant about it because
the Joe, So Joe, you wanted to sign your chest.
You know we already took a picture before the show started.
Speaker 4 (03:30):
Come on, I mean, doghouse fans were real like, oh yeah,
I mean it's it was a real like people have
really no idea when I talk about it. Like I
was even telling you Chris going, Chris, you heard me
from the Big Boys neighborhood. He came in and giving
me props early on going, Joe, I got to tell
you fox with you, I've been you know, I grew
up in matt Latin hoods and you know me and blah.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Blah blah, bah blah.
Speaker 4 (03:48):
That's why I said blacks again at the beginning, so
I already had some dialogue with these cats, and then
to know that it's even deeper rooted with you is
even crazier for me with my run.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
But enough about me. You're where are you from?
Speaker 2 (03:59):
The Bay born Rader Salmon Tao? No? No, actually I
was born in Mexico. Oh really Mexican American? Yes, Mexico, Mexican.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
Right, they let you in, so you were born there.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
We're at uh called the Calvillo.
Speaker 4 (04:17):
So you're full Spanish speaking the whole nine huh yes,
l yes, you mentioned the second language.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
That's what my mama was boy.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Advantage, you know. The blue eyes helped out a lot.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Yeah, it's funny. You don't look like a full on
Spaniard like that. Even got Spain though. Yeah, me o
g Louis. Look you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 6 (04:33):
I did the DNA test and it's yeah, it's really
fifty six percent Spanish Spanish.
Speaker 4 (04:37):
Yeah, you have the more Spanish looking because they're the
more wetal you know, life span.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
So when did you move to Bay Area?
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Uh, like in nineteen ninety four probably.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Oh so, right when the doghouse was popping.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Yeah, sorry, no, I didn't move to very ninety four.
Speaker 6 (04:54):
It was in the eighties, Okay, in ninety four, I
was I was in high school.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
That's what he was listening to you. And he said
saying he used to listen to you when he was
a kid. No, high school, you're a young adult. I
mean in trouble, you're kid. We're dating Joe.
Speaker 4 (05:09):
I love when you guys Blue does that. When I
first met him, he goes, I used to listen to you.
I grew up listening to a great fuck you.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
You didn't grow up. I'm not that old. You're already
grown listening to me.
Speaker 4 (05:17):
So from the bay like that. There's a lot of
cannabis from the bay. Is that where the interest started.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Or did it exactly?
Speaker 6 (05:23):
One of my buddies actually had testicular cancer in high
school and he was getting cannabis from one of the
Berkeley shops, and uh, that's where we kind of got
introduced to the whole idea of that medical signs.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
So you start, you were rubbing it on him. You're
rubbing it.
Speaker 5 (05:43):
Before that, it was just how's he doing?
Speaker 1 (05:45):
Now?
Speaker 2 (05:45):
He's great?
Speaker 1 (05:46):
Thank god? They cut his nuts off.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
He lost one that's.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Good, great many exactly.
Speaker 4 (05:54):
Yeah, that's always interesting when people find out cannabis that way,
you know what I mean. I didn't realize that I
started smoke and I was six, but realizing medically we
allla used to put it in the rubbing alcohol, so
like I knew of it as medicine as well, like
in my household, and I thought it was just a
Mexican myth.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
That you know.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
I mean, it's that old school CBD that we didn't
even know was already being.
Speaker 4 (06:13):
Utilized, right like the Mexican culture or the Indian cultures
were like put this in your rubbing alcohol, it will
help you for better or whatever. Yeah, there was no
scientific behind it. My mom was just like, mean, hall West,
what we're doing?
Speaker 1 (06:23):
Shut up? You know what I'm saying. So Bay Area
born and raised are not born and ra born in Mexico.
Raised there? High school in the East Bay.
Speaker 6 (06:31):
No Aragon, Salmonteo, Sam Matao, you're right there in the peninsula.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Yep, that's right.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Nice us a place. What high school?
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Aragon High School?
Speaker 1 (06:39):
And then what did you play sports?
Speaker 7 (06:40):
Not?
Speaker 1 (06:40):
I didn't play sports nothing, huh no, just just smoking weed.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
You went across the Ridge was class president though I presidents.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Look at this class president as president. We're a fucking
team over here. Yeah, that's always nice. And what about you, Anthony?
Where are you from?
Speaker 5 (06:57):
Chris?
Speaker 1 (06:58):
Sorry, I don't.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (07:01):
You know what's funny is Anthony's my brother and you
look nothing like him.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
It must be exactly. Yeah.
Speaker 8 (07:08):
Originally I'm from Charleston, South Carolina, born and raised. Moved
out here when my stepfather met my mom and like.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
What, I was like nine, What do you think about
that move?
Speaker 8 (07:20):
I think it was probably the best thing, you know
what I mean, being light skin mixed in South Carolina.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Yeah, it wasn't too cool and shown to California and
it's like, oh okay, I fit in here.
Speaker 8 (07:31):
And my stepfather's Filipino. So when we moved out here,
we moved to like Eagle Rock, Cypress Park area.
Speaker 5 (07:35):
Yeah, always right in the hood.
Speaker 8 (07:37):
Always lived in either Glasshow Park, Cypress Park, Highland Park.
Speaker 5 (07:42):
Now I stay in East LA, so you know, East
LA born and raised.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
So did you go to high school here in Kelly?
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Yeah? I did.
Speaker 8 (07:48):
I went to a pretty fucked up school called Hillside
Bible Baptist Academy.
Speaker 5 (07:53):
The last school that did corporate punishment.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Did you get hit in school?
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Bro? I was bad.
Speaker 5 (07:59):
I think the pastor had it out for me. Definitely
hate him. Really yeah he did.
Speaker 8 (08:02):
His name was Ray Ramirez. If you're if you're watching
fund yourself.
Speaker 5 (08:06):
Yeah it was uh yeah awesome. Send your children there, no.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
Yeah, right? And did you play.
Speaker 5 (08:14):
Sports or just basketball thing like that? You know that's
my favorite sport. Yeah, you know, mainly just basketball, running.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
Running thing like to run nice.
Speaker 5 (08:23):
You're still doing that light skin, so you know you
run a lot.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
Yeah, from the cops too.
Speaker 5 (08:27):
It's pretty much exactly.
Speaker 4 (08:29):
You know, I've got that Raffael's skin where you can
pull it up and stand there for a little longer.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
Ye what sir, I know I lost my Latin accent.
So I'm here to handle my business's blue eyes.
Speaker 5 (08:38):
That's what it is.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
It does work, you guys.
Speaker 4 (08:40):
So we have original Green Cross Torrents and I know
you got edit dispensary, you got a brand you've been growing.
I want to get into the history of everything that
you've been doing over the Rocky. We're going to take
a break real quick and come back and talk about the.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
Dispensary and your gro history and everything else. Will be
right back after this break. Keep it locked.
Speaker 9 (08:58):
Donald Cannabis Talks one on one on all social media.
Can Cannabis Talk one oh one, Subscribe to our weekly
newsletter on our website Cannabis Talk one on one dot com.
Speaker 7 (09:18):
Cannabis Talk one oh one with Blue and Joe Grunde,
the world's number one source for everything cannabis.
Speaker 4 (09:25):
I don't know if you guys seen the latest edition
of the Cannabis Talk magazine, but it got some great articles,
very cool stories, and it gets yourself a hard copy
today at your local dispensary or a smoke shop near you.
If they don't have one, have them give us a
call one eight hundred and four twenty nineteen eight.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
And if they don't have that and you can't.
Speaker 4 (09:40):
Get it, just go online and check it out Cannabis
Talkmagazine dot com and subscribe.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
Now we've got.
Speaker 4 (09:45):
Chris Ward here, the sales director of the original Greenhouse
cross Points, and Rafael Chabez, the CEO. Raf this is
Is this your first dispensary that you opened or what's
your story?
Speaker 3 (09:56):
Man?
Speaker 1 (09:56):
How you go.
Speaker 4 (09:57):
From living in Mexico moving the Bay area San Mateo.
By the way, I did forty nine days in that
San Mateo jail over there, that's Redwood City. Oh not fun,
but anyhow, well and then there, yeah, Joe, that was Elmwood.
Speaker 6 (10:13):
Joe, I'm actually not the CEO. It's it's a family business.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
Oh.
Speaker 6 (10:16):
I worked with my brother Edward, he's the CEO, and
my wife, Rachel, she's the CFO. Nice, and so I'm
technically a consultant that I consult to the dispensaries and
then other dispensaries that that I'm working on.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
But yeah, I was telling you it's a family. Yeah,
that makes it nice. You said your brother, yeah, older, younger.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
My younger, big brother.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
Yeah, he's bigger than you.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
You're he's like six.
Speaker 1 (10:40):
Nice. So how did you guys get in the game
like this?
Speaker 6 (10:45):
We moved I moved out here with two of my
best friends from the Bay Area in two thousand and five.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
And you shay out here in southern California.
Speaker 6 (10:52):
Uh yeah, so uh going back, like I was saying,
I'm from the Bay Area. I went to the University
of California in Santa Barbara, the first one to graduate
with a degree nice. When I was there, I had
to do it for my mom, you know. President I
think personally college. I would not want my kids going there.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
State do there we go.
Speaker 6 (11:12):
Yeah, But I think it's it's it's it's a waste
of time really if if you don't know what you're
doing and it's just you end up as so much debt.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
As everybody knows.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
College and go for medical, medical or be a lawyer
or something like that.
Speaker 6 (11:23):
Like universities, it's philosophy in there, so they're very woke nowadays. Uh,
if you want to go to like a state school,
then you'll learn a craft or something that you can
be like an architect or or something.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
Uh.
Speaker 6 (11:34):
But yeah, going back to what I was saying, growing
up in the Bay Area, we were introduced to the
medical part of it through that friend of mine. And
then I went to college in Santa Barbara. I read
an article about West Hollywood allowing dispensaries and that I
didn't know that West Hollywood was its own city.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
I thought it was La.
Speaker 6 (11:56):
That I had two buddies that dropped out of college.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
They were going to the city college. Uh, and they
moved up to.
Speaker 6 (12:04):
Chico and they started growing, and so they called and said, hey,
we got a bunch of products.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
What should we do with it?
Speaker 6 (12:11):
I was like, once you guys started dispensary in la
in two thousand and five, and teamed up with another
buddy of ours, Josh Schmidt. He's within the tourro now
up in Sacramento. Really good dude, and I put the
paperwork together and we started right there. It was called
THC Tricombe Healing Caregive.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
I remember, I remember it, yeah, on Van Eys and
Sherman Way, And that was the first one.
Speaker 6 (12:32):
I didn't own that one. My buddies did. My two
buddies did because it was all their their product. But
about a year later I kind of left it out
of respect. I didn't I didn't open a dispensary in
the valley. So I like got a map out and
I was like, where can where can I be that
there isn't anything there?
Speaker 2 (12:46):
And it was Torrance.
Speaker 6 (12:48):
And so the first one we opened, I founded it.
We opened it in Torrance on Hawthorne Boulevard and we
were there for like six months and then we got
shut down by the Chief of Police.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
I remember that, Yeah, was that Chris was that the
no that.
Speaker 6 (13:00):
Was the chief of police was retiring and one DEA
agent and they raided us and shut us down, and
you know, I waited about a month found another spot
that was in La City because that one was in
Torrance and I'm not from out here, so I didn't
know torrans PD had that reputation.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
Oh yeah, still don't.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
Yeah, And I did it the right way.
Speaker 6 (13:21):
I applied for a business license. I told him what
I was doing, a caregiver under Prop. Two fifteen as
ratified by Senate Bill four twenty. They gave me the
license and then when they got in into what we
were doing, that was like the last thing he wanted
to do was was shut us down. And I didn't
even find out about it until the day they were
going to vote at city council. And it was the guy,
one of the reporters that the Daily Breeze came to
(13:43):
the shop and he's like, can I interview you for
for what's going on? I was like, what's going on?
Speaker 9 (13:48):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (13:48):
You know, they're they're about to change the law in Torrance.
Speaker 6 (13:51):
They're gonna they're gonna say we won't issue a business
license to anybody breaking local or state law. They were
going to add federal and once they did that, then
the this license I had was no good.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
Wow, how fun was that. Yeah, did they shut you
down immediately?
Speaker 6 (14:05):
Uh yeah, within like a week. I think no, I
just got out. I actually, uh, I saw several attorneys.
I went and saw that guy, Mark Gooland at the time.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
Yeah, Bruce, but Bruce, you know, he was like, fuck him,
just fight it. You're a you're a you're a collective.
Speaker 6 (14:21):
You don't even need a license. And then I was like,
let me do some research, right, So I holp on
online and I see this case. Uh these two guys
in Modesto, they they got they opened a shop, Modesto
shut him down. A year later, the Feds indeded him.
They fought it. One got like twenty three years, one
got twenty five years. He was just recently in the news,
(14:42):
the guy that got twenty five he was released early.
He was the last cannabis prisoner in California or something
like that. But he did a bunch of time. And
uh so I learned from them. I was like, there's
no fighting the Feds.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
Yeah, oh yeah, they're not gonna win with the Feds.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
So speaking of the Feds, come on in, it's like
fuck And then what happened? And then how do you
where do you go from there. What's the pivot?
Speaker 6 (15:03):
Just driving around Torrents looking for a spot. Yeah, And
I seen this on the corner of Western and Carson.
I saw a video store. This is in two thousand
and six.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
I was like, who's video? So I go in there.
Speaker 6 (15:14):
It's this old Korean man, mister Kim. At the time,
he was fight in his sixties. Now he's like in
the nineties, I think, but he's still my landlord. So
I convinced him.
Speaker 2 (15:22):
I was like, hey, close this thing down, dude, I'll
buy a whole inventory. And he's like, okay, fine.
Speaker 6 (15:27):
And I think his daughter was going to medical school,
so I kind of let her know what we were
doing was he didn't really understand what we were doing,
but he I was like, look, it's not illegal.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
I promise, we're just caregivers.
Speaker 6 (15:38):
And we opened up as a collective there in two
thousand and six six and the corner we're on is
La City. Every the other three corners are Torrents, so
we're right on the edge.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
You're right there on the corner of La City. So
did they did they?
Speaker 7 (15:51):
So?
Speaker 9 (15:52):
They?
Speaker 3 (15:52):
Oh shit, did they license it and and give you
zoning for it?
Speaker 1 (15:57):
Obviously?
Speaker 6 (15:58):
Well back then they didn't have that. It was just
a retail. All they had was a business, just like
La pre Icos. You know it was it was a BTRC,
which is permission to pay tax.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
It didn't mean anything.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
I still got pictures of mine.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (16:10):
Well people try to sell those things back in like
twenty eighteen. Yeah, that's saying it was a license when
it's not. So pre Icos.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
Now have I sold mine that license.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
It's a different certificate, but I sold mine and they
actually got a license with it. Yeah, you know what
I mean because a lot of people, yeah, a lot
of people you know that had the BTRC did get
grandfathered in. But you know, they weren't they weren't transferable,
you know, so you were able to get your own
it technically.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
Right and still I mean we still own them, our
family stones them. Yeah, we have two pre icos.
Speaker 4 (16:36):
And then you guys just grandfathered that in to get
your normal dispensary license, which is down the new license
that are out there.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
Yep. Exactly Is that a.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
Hassle to do that or was it?
Speaker 4 (16:44):
See I would only imagine it would seem easier than
the normal process, or is it the same process?
Speaker 6 (16:48):
I'll be honest, we still don't have an annual license.
We have provisional licenses still.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
Really why and you're pre ico, which is crazy.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
Because the DCR is just understaff.
Speaker 6 (16:59):
They got a lot of stuff to deal with and uh,
they takes them a while to get things processed.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
And so Torrance is Torrents, you know, cool with you.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Now we're in La City, all right, so it's not.
Speaker 6 (17:10):
Really it doesn't matter. We call the police, l E
PD shows up, gotch l A City.
Speaker 1 (17:14):
And you guys have been rocking there since two thousand
and six.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
Now, yeah, since two thousand and six.
Speaker 6 (17:18):
And it's funny because we keep winning best Dispensary in
the South Bay from the Daily Breeze.
Speaker 5 (17:23):
Five times nice, which is a you know, it's a
legit times.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
Five times as you should. How we pay for that?
Speaker 2 (17:31):
No, that's it's voted on.
Speaker 6 (17:37):
Yeah, we're proud of that because yeah, you got by
you can buy pretty much whatever you want, you know.
Speaker 4 (17:42):
Like, yeah, so talk about that. What's in the shop.
What do you guys have there? What's what's the big seller?
Is just your own brand?
Speaker 1 (17:48):
Or what do we got cooking?
Speaker 6 (17:50):
Our director of sales over there and he's uh, he's
really come in swinging. He's gotten sales up, surprisingly because
as you know, we're in a downturn right now. We
can sure, I like to compare it. It was kind
of like a fake peak with all this COVID money
that came in. So that's kind of where the industry
is right now. A lot of these people that own
(18:11):
shops thought that this was going to keep going, sure,
and it's really now. It's down here pre twenty twenty numbers,
but a lot of them didn't realize, Hey, I got
to stop spending and hiring and and living like I'm
making money like this wherever. And that's where the industry
is right now, where people owners aren't realizing like, oh shit,
things have changed. I gotta I gotta go back to
(18:32):
this this because that's.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
Where the numbers are. You know, our sales are down.
The numbers, they're not down, but they're down back to
where they were.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
Pre they're not right COVID because it was deemed everybody
had their checks.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
It was it was.
Speaker 6 (18:47):
Deemed essential, so we were able to stay open and yeah,
business was was good. But it's not just the cannabis industry.
Everybody's it's tough for everybody right now, most industries, you
know that money's not there right now. They say we're
in a recession. Where entering your session, I don't know,
it feels like there's there's there's something going on.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
It feels good. I feel like we're crushing it.
Speaker 4 (19:06):
Sometimes it's hard. It's hard for a lot of people
out there. So, Chris, what are some of the good
SKUs that you guys have in this shop?
Speaker 8 (19:11):
Man, we have man a thousand, maybe a thousand skews
in our shop. So you know, there's nothing that we
don't have. It's probably like it's easier to find what
we don't have.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
Yeah, we downsize.
Speaker 6 (19:21):
We used to have like forty five hundred SKUs and
now we're down probably to a couple thousand.
Speaker 5 (19:25):
Couple thousand.
Speaker 8 (19:26):
Really, some of the best stuff that we have is
the stuff that we personally grow in our own facilities.
The Alta Vedo brand they're rocking with like thirteen different flavors,
all indoor, all fire, all manicured, properly has the testing.
Speaker 5 (19:42):
It's some of the best quality.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
And altivid that this is the house brand for you guys.
Speaker 6 (19:46):
Yeah, so we're we're already integrated our family. We have
crows and we have distribution.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
Oh nice, that helps.
Speaker 2 (19:52):
Yeah, yeah, I.
Speaker 6 (19:53):
Mean we're doing it since two thousand and five, so
you know, I've been able to manage and maintain stuff.
Speaker 2 (19:58):
So, uh, this is one of our newest things.
Speaker 6 (20:01):
It's a it's a it's a subscription box that we
we curate ourselves and uh, it's real popular right now.
Speaker 1 (20:07):
Is that big gas box right there?
Speaker 8 (20:08):
Yeah, those are actually for you guys, So there's actually
stuff in there. So at the end of everything, Yeah,
we got we got a number of things.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
That we got.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
How does this work? How do people get these for us? Jeez?
These are big boxes?
Speaker 8 (20:19):
Can you would donate or excuse me, pay two hundred
bucks for this box? After taxes? It's like two hundred
and seventy bucks. Sorry, I'm from the medicals.
Speaker 3 (20:27):
Is still here, he's still blown away like a taxi.
Speaker 9 (20:33):
He's still doing it the old well and we'll give
you a T shirt and you tap those three times
to say there's no place like home.
Speaker 8 (20:39):
Yeah, so you Uh, it's two hundred bucks for the box,
but there's about four hundred and fifty almost five hundred
bucks worth of cannabis in there.
Speaker 5 (20:45):
So it's a super deal. Uh, they're flying like hotcakes.
Speaker 8 (20:49):
We only have fifty of them available every month, so
it's first come for serve and uh yeah, we're probably
gonna have to have a lot more.
Speaker 1 (20:55):
Of them because it's a pop that's Oh, that'd be
a great deal right there.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
Someone, it's a really good you put a back because
we tream up with.
Speaker 6 (21:01):
Up with brands that you know, give us product the
special costs and you can put that.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
In the box and past the savings.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
You know, I wanted to get delivered to your house,
but wow, I want to hear some of the things
that you know, you think why the industry is slowing
down from you guys, you know, because you know, I
think you guys get to see it from the forefront,
and it's so important for you know, people out there
listening that are like, you know, a lot of people
are hyped up still they don't know what's really going on.
(21:30):
So can you give this like a you know, just
a rundown on what you think, you know, what's holding
us back in California.
Speaker 1 (21:36):
After this break, it's Cannabis Talk one on one.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
Movie right back.
Speaker 9 (21:38):
Yeah, Cannabis Talk one on one on all social media
and Cannabis Talk one on one. Subscribe to our weekly
newsletter on our website, Cannabis Talk one on one dot com.
Speaker 7 (22:01):
Cannabis TC one oh one with Blue and Joe Grande,
the world's number one source for everything cannabis care.
Speaker 4 (22:08):
Your typical of something special, Folks, when it comes in
fuse products, the flavor you taste should be just as
enjoyable as the feeling you experience. Visit the website at
loranoils dot com.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
We have the gentlemen in here from the original Green Cross.
Excuse me in Torrents and Blue.
Speaker 4 (22:25):
Asked you a great question, Rafayel and Chris about where
the industry is at because you're opening up, Rafael about
it's not as big as it was when Covid was here.
Our numbers are back to the early twenty twenty era.
But what is it about this time that you feel,
because we're hearing it from so many companies in the
(22:47):
industry that it's hurting. So many people are owing dispensaries
money that are buying the cannabis from the brands that
aren't paying the brands.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
I mean, you know, we hear about all these things.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
Right, You nailed it right there.
Speaker 6 (22:59):
It's the standard of living that this business has had
because of this COVID pump and not realizing it that
it kind of went away about a year ago, and
they're still spending or hiring or and where where's that
money coming from? If it's not you know, the sales
come in. But right now, since the excise tax is
(23:20):
now being collected by the retailers, about a third of
the money we make every.
Speaker 2 (23:25):
Day is taxes.
Speaker 6 (23:28):
Yeah, so a lot of the dispensaries are spending that
money to operate or to continue their way of life,
whatever it is, it's being spent, and then the state's
not getting it. So I think there's like two hundred
shops that are in jeopardy of losing their licenses because
their arrears in the first two quarters of taxes, at
least from what I've read. But that's basically what it is.
(23:49):
There's it was a huge pump, and now it's corrected.
It's a huge correction.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
Now.
Speaker 6 (23:54):
The other thing would be like, you know, there's just
too there's too much product out there and not enough consumers,
or the taxation taxes are really high. People rather spend
it in the black market where they don't have to
pay those taxes.
Speaker 2 (24:07):
Yeah, and the state has to do a better job
of addressing that. They're really not doing anything, you know,
And is there a solution. Yeah, reduce the taxes.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
That's it.
Speaker 6 (24:17):
Why is it thirty five percent? It's ridiculous. There's no
other industry that's tax like that. I was trying to
compare it to gas. I mean, even gas it's thirty
five cents a gallon, but a gallon's like six dollars.
Speaker 2 (24:27):
It's that's nothing.
Speaker 1 (24:29):
Yeah, exact.
Speaker 8 (24:30):
Not only that, Like you got the you got five
thousand trap shops in LA and you only got like
five hundred of us.
Speaker 5 (24:36):
You get what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (24:37):
So, yeah, how do you guys even deal with that?
Having a shop like that and people knowing you? Chris, Like, okay,
you know you got your man of the streets, You're
a man of the hoods.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
Who we kidding? You know what I mean?
Speaker 4 (24:46):
And you go out there and you know where these
shops are. You may even know people that work there.
Speaker 5 (24:50):
Oh yeah, well, you know, it's all about education.
Speaker 8 (24:51):
You got to let them know the difference between what
we offer and what they offer. How their meds aren't
tested for pesticides, molds, mildew, just all kinds of chemicals
that shouldn't be used.
Speaker 5 (25:03):
Non do too.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
You're gonna buy a brownie that has a thousand milligrams.
Speaker 6 (25:08):
And yeah, that's one of the stories we get the most,
is people coming in and saying, I haven't touched weed
in twenty years because it's the brownie story.
Speaker 2 (25:17):
I had a brownie.
Speaker 6 (25:17):
And it's so now they come in and they want
to you know, they want measured and they want doses
and and you know, we've seen a shift in our
customer base from twenty eighteen forward. Pre twenty eighteen, pre legalization,
it was a lot of younger guys. Now it's a
lot of middle aged people, older people, middle aged people
(25:39):
getting products for older people as well. So it's people
that don't have the plug. You know, it's the reality.
It's like I don't have a dealer I can call,
so I'll go to the shop.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
I like it there. It's nice. People are good.
Speaker 4 (25:52):
So crazy when you say that, because I think that's
the hard part for dispensaries, right, like legal dispensaries who
spend their hard earned life and doing the family business.
And then it's like, you know, everybody that's younger.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
Has a plug.
Speaker 4 (26:05):
Oh yeah, yeah, well as we did when we're growing up,
because we all have plugs growing up, right.
Speaker 8 (26:09):
It's like trapshot get shut down, they open up like
a day or two later, you know what I mean.
Speaker 5 (26:13):
So it's it's not hard for us as long as
we educate the people.
Speaker 1 (26:17):
You know, Yeah, call me, I got some weed for you.
Speaker 8 (26:22):
But you know, once they can process all the social
equity candidates, I think that's going to be a game
changer as well. Yeah, I personally am a social equity candidate.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
I've missed.
Speaker 8 (26:30):
Uh, I'm one of the original two hundred still waiting,
missed like four four or five freaking lotteries.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
What was your story? How'd you get busted?
Speaker 8 (26:39):
I got popped for a manufacturing concentrates back when it
was a gray area, you know what I mean? Uh,
you know, instead of bringing my shop into it, I
just took the whole hit and just you.
Speaker 5 (26:48):
Know, as you should, you know, manned up.
Speaker 1 (26:51):
That's gonna work out for them.
Speaker 8 (26:52):
But because that happened, I was able to, Oh, you
can have a shop, you're a you're a marijuana fell
and we're going to legalize weed, which I'm still waiting for.
Speaker 5 (26:59):
You know what I mean. So you know it sounded great.
Speaker 3 (27:02):
We actually know some people over there. You know what
I'm saying that that we do actually that are really
in the forefront of that. Yeah that you know, I'd
like to introduce you to Bro what I'm saying to
shut up?
Speaker 2 (27:12):
Bro?
Speaker 1 (27:13):
Yeah, we know right well, and they got love for us.
They came on the show.
Speaker 5 (27:19):
That means that means the world to me and my family.
Speaker 2 (27:21):
Bro.
Speaker 4 (27:22):
I know we'll be no because it's so real like
that You're part of the first two hundred.
Speaker 1 (27:26):
Yeah, you know it's it's it's for real, like we
Arey Brown.
Speaker 8 (27:29):
I think I'm like, yeah, I think I'm like one
eighty three five. I'm like below two hundred from the
first round.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
And even though old girl that was here the other
day too, you know, we know we got we did.
We got a couple of people that emotional while you
get emotions.
Speaker 8 (27:41):
It's been along road in cannabis, you know for me,
so you know, I've been working at the you know
when it was medical, worked at a Rastafarian spot owned
by New Jersey weed Man and Pat Duffman I know
y'all know them out there, and then worked with brother
Dan who owns the Librea Collective in Hollywood.
Speaker 5 (28:00):
I rocked with them for about ten eleven years.
Speaker 8 (28:03):
That's when I had caught my f when I was
working for one of the biggest out there. And then uh,
someone that was actually you know, vending pot to that dispensary.
His name was Aaron, introduced me to Rafa and Ed
and all of them, you know what I mean. So
it's just been a long journey, you know, I've been
through all that. I've making concentrates, a freaking burned the
(28:25):
hell out of my arms, lost all the skin on
my arms. And I love doing concentrates. If you paid
me to do it, I'd still do it, you.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
Know what I mean.
Speaker 5 (28:32):
So and now I'm managing I'm not managing them.
Speaker 3 (28:34):
I got a back room right now, tubes and yeah,
the O G style.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 8 (28:41):
But you know, I started at the Green Cross as
a bud tender, worked my way up to a lead,
worked my way up to a sales manager, and now
I'm the director of sales. So it's been a long
fucking journey for me and my family.
Speaker 1 (28:54):
You know.
Speaker 8 (28:55):
I remember when they're like stop smoking weed, Christ, you
smoke too much weed.
Speaker 5 (28:58):
Yeah, you know, And now it's just.
Speaker 1 (29:01):
And now it's Chris. Can we get some weed? Can
get Can I get some of that weed that you
got to.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
Discount?
Speaker 10 (29:12):
Yeah?
Speaker 9 (29:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (29:13):
Is They're funny how it all changes once they realize,
oh my god, this is it's actually kind.
Speaker 1 (29:18):
Of good for you if I do it this way,
you know.
Speaker 4 (29:20):
And I really am so into the fact that, you know,
you guys come from the which I look at as
the Blue Way, the medical way, right because you know,
Blue Hat was doing that too when he had his
illegal shops running that were legal and helping patients and
everything else.
Speaker 1 (29:36):
And to me, when I hear.
Speaker 4 (29:39):
People who come from that, that's real love, man, you
know what I mean. And that's just real love period.
Not just love for the plant. That's love for human nature.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (29:49):
Because your boy who lost the testicle, who went to
Berkeley and you were sitting there learning about it early
on to doing what you're doing now, to do all that,
that's that's commendable, you guys. I really look at what
you guys are doing over there at the original Green
Cross and Torrents and say that's the type of company
and dispensary that people should fuck with and go to
(30:09):
because these are the guys that and God blessed those
that are the business ones that just wanted the business
and just started cool.
Speaker 1 (30:16):
No love, look just put it that, you guys put
in that footwork, you know what I mean.
Speaker 6 (30:19):
Yeah, Like the compassion is really it's real brought us
this level of success. We still have great deals for
our medical patients, you know, for veterans. I mean, compassion's
always been a big part of it. In fact, I
think that was the first article that got written about
us in the Daily Breeze.
Speaker 2 (30:34):
It was about I have it in my office. It
says that compassion comes out of cost.
Speaker 6 (30:39):
Yeah, and that's really what it was because we were
looking at you know, federal charges. You know, it's always
been it's been a roller coaster for We've been doing
this in two thousand and six, two thousand and five,
and I thought it was going to be all all
gravy come twenty eighteen, But really it was just a reset.
Speaker 2 (30:56):
You know.
Speaker 5 (30:57):
It's like and now it's.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
Now, it's now where it is.
Speaker 6 (31:00):
But you know, I always think of of of the
cannabis industry as a recession proof industry, kind of like alcohol,
you know, it's when times get bad, people consume more
more product. So I don't really I don't really think
that the industry is bad right now as far as clientele. Uh,
(31:21):
it's just the taxation is really what's killing us. And
you know there's gonna be a correction that's already happening.
A lot of companies have failed, bigger companies are coming
in and buying them up, and you know, that's kind
of where.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
The industry is right now. But it's not going anywhere.
You know.
Speaker 6 (31:37):
The next step, like I was telling you earlier, is
a federal decriminalization and then that's when the big money
comes in and hopefully everybody gets a nice paycheck and
cashes out, rides off into the sunset.
Speaker 1 (31:47):
Yeah, will rough here or what else you got going on?
Speaker 9 (31:50):
Though?
Speaker 1 (31:50):
I know you got all this.
Speaker 4 (31:51):
You know you're vertically integrated. Where are the other dispensaries
that you have popping off at?
Speaker 6 (31:55):
We have one in North Hollywood on Van Owen that
should be opening opening up here soon in the next
month or two.
Speaker 1 (32:00):
Oh really North Hollywood?
Speaker 2 (32:01):
Okay? Yeah?
Speaker 6 (32:02):
And then we had one and what uh closest would
be Market Lancashem right there.
Speaker 1 (32:09):
And uh, the target right over there, if I'm not mistaken. Yeah.
Speaker 6 (32:12):
Uh, the other one we had was in Venice. It
still is in Venice, but that one that was like
a crazy story. With that one, I did a deal,
a management deal with a bigger company and they kind
of just didn't they get you out now, they failed
and then I got it back. But then the landlord
they they've failed to like extend the lease. So the
(32:33):
landlord got mad and kicked us out.
Speaker 1 (32:36):
But you're looking for a new location.
Speaker 2 (32:38):
Or yeah, looking for a new location in Venice.
Speaker 6 (32:40):
But then I found out because of the last round
of social equity, they issued licenses and those can be
anywhere in La City.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
Now I can move anywhere. Nice. So yeah, looking to move.
Speaker 6 (32:51):
But you know, I'm not sure if this is the
best time to open up a store right now.
Speaker 1 (32:55):
Sure, so, yeah, it's it's it's definitely tricky, you know, at.
Speaker 6 (33:00):
Least here in California. Yeah, but I am working on
one in New York. I'm consulting on one out there
in Long Island. It's called Big Apple Budco. You'd be
opening up for delivery in the next couple of months,
and then you know, you're dealing with different municipalities everywhere.
Speaker 2 (33:14):
So there you got to it's licensing permitted.
Speaker 6 (33:16):
So we're looking at like nine to ten months just
to get the permits to build it out, you know.
Speaker 1 (33:21):
Yeah, and how is that in New York?
Speaker 4 (33:22):
Talk about the differences between New York legalization and California legalization.
Speaker 6 (33:27):
New York is where we were in like twenty sixteen,
twenty seventeen, where they have a ton of trap shops
out there. There's only twenty legal dispensaries over there right now.
And over there the first round is similar to here,
a social equity round, but over there they're really ambitious.
So over there, the social equity candidates get a turn
(33:49):
key dispensary location, built out, everything paid for by this
yeah Dasney and a fund. Yeah, but it's it's over ambitious.
I mean they've only open twenty they were you know,
they're trying to get the whole two hundred million they
were supposed to raise. I think they finally got it,
so they're rolling them out slowly. But over there, you know,
(34:11):
the the trappers over there really outdid the trappers here
because they.
Speaker 1 (34:14):
Took they took it to a whole nother lit.
Speaker 6 (34:17):
It on wheels, you know, they had these food trucks
that were just driving around Times Square selling product to everybody, and.
Speaker 1 (34:23):
And the cops just don't bother me.
Speaker 6 (34:25):
No, they finally cracked down on that, finally started cracking
down on that, impounded over one hundred of those vehicles.
Speaker 1 (34:32):
That's crazy to think there's that many people that said bucket,
let's go.
Speaker 3 (34:35):
Yeah, they're still doing it. Yeah, they're just low key
about it now. They're not just yeah, we sell cannabis, not.
Speaker 1 (34:41):
A Green Cross on it driving up in the middle.
Speaker 2 (34:43):
Of Times Square, Yes, exactly, CD doubt on whatever.
Speaker 4 (34:51):
Well, you guys, we'd like to do the high five
with everybody that comes in here on the show. And
I'm telling you, Chris, thank you for getting emotional and vulnerable.
Speaker 1 (34:58):
Man. We love that. And you know we're really gonna
do some ship to help you out for real, real shit.
Speaker 2 (35:02):
That appreciate you.
Speaker 4 (35:03):
Just talk over here, Rafael, both of you guys. Your
journey has been amazing. Folks hearing what they're doing over
there at the original Green Cross in Torrents.
Speaker 1 (35:12):
You hear what the company is about.
Speaker 4 (35:13):
You know what I mean, It's not just a place
where you want to go in there and by the
most expensive weed, you know, the safe it's the safest weed.
And they care about their patients. And I'm imagining you
guys got great bud tenders are very well educated. We
have because of what you guys do. You have to
train them well.
Speaker 2 (35:28):
We have the best.
Speaker 8 (35:29):
We have an education procedure that we do put them
through training that from growing everything everything I've been.
Speaker 4 (35:39):
Yeah, you guys come from that medical side where everyone
works here has to be educated.
Speaker 2 (35:42):
We're just selling shop has been there since two thousand
and six.
Speaker 5 (35:45):
We're not the five time best shop in the South
Bay for no reason.
Speaker 8 (35:48):
And we're gonna work on the sixth. That's that's what
we gotta working on. We're gonna get that six We
got the ice cream truck coming out. We're gonna be
able to be mobile, so we're gonna be coming all
your delivery.
Speaker 6 (36:00):
The ice cream model is you basically have thirty percent
of your sales. I think it's thirty here have to
be prepaid, and then the other seventy You can park somewhere,
put a like a barcode for your menu, they order,
pay and then just come to the window and pick
it up.
Speaker 2 (36:17):
Maybe I got out of a concert.
Speaker 8 (36:19):
This Friday is gonna be our first soft opening. We're
gonna do Nondo Beach, So we're gonna be out for
like three to five hours something like that. Yeah, man,
we're gonna that's gonna We're gonna be at the twenty
one twenty one Savage and Drake concert.
Speaker 1 (36:30):
We got a whole list, a whole list.
Speaker 5 (36:32):
Of things that we're gonna be hitting, so we should collabse.
Speaker 1 (36:35):
Yeah, were you guys?
Speaker 3 (36:37):
I got some some other things that I was, you know,
gonna bring to you guys too that we'll talk off out.
Speaker 5 (36:42):
Definitely exposed it all and give too much out.
Speaker 1 (36:45):
Yeah, but it's gonna be nice. Well, let's hit this
high five.
Speaker 4 (36:47):
You guys will go in the order off the allio
answer first, Christ your answer second. We're going with the
sixth time award winning I'm already calling it you guys,
the crew from the original.
Speaker 1 (36:56):
Green Cross Torrents. It's the high five. How old were
we the first time you smoked canabis? And where'd you
get it? From?
Speaker 2 (37:01):
Fourteen from my neighbor Justin.
Speaker 10 (37:04):
It old Justin Samitteo, Sanmitteo. Yeah, Justin's out in Vegas, Chris,
and I was about fifteen. And it was my cousin
Michael Domante. We smoked it on top of a roof,
out of trouble, getting down.
Speaker 9 (37:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (37:20):
Question number two of the High five, what is your
favorite way to use or smoke cannabis?
Speaker 2 (37:25):
I like to roll a joint? Yeah, just what kind
of joint? Zig zag?
Speaker 1 (37:29):
Yeah, exact nation little joint? Okay.
Speaker 4 (37:31):
Any favorite weed that you guys that you're like, Okay,
I like to go to this, you know.
Speaker 6 (37:35):
I love a really strong indica, like a O. G. Cush,
but only because it tests my mind. I get so
like paranoid and like, yeah, but usually a sativa something
that chill or makes brings out of my creative nice.
Speaker 1 (37:51):
What about you, Chris?
Speaker 5 (37:51):
Like to roll a joint? I don't like pre roles.
Speaker 8 (37:53):
Pre Roles are kind of like you know, cut, you know,
and so I like to roll my own cannabis with
like unbleached papers, raw or you know. I like the
elements that are those are really nice. And then I
don't do in the course the tivah.
Speaker 2 (38:09):
I do it all.
Speaker 5 (38:09):
I'm not a weed racist. I like it all.
Speaker 4 (38:17):
Question number three of the High five, Craziest place you
ever used or smoked cannabis.
Speaker 6 (38:22):
I've been to a couple of Super Bowls that I
always blazing the super Bowl.
Speaker 1 (38:26):
That's good. Which ones I've been like three?
Speaker 2 (38:28):
My three?
Speaker 1 (38:29):
Oh you went to the last three. That was good.
That's fun. There's nothing better in my point than big
sporting events. Super Bowls.
Speaker 2 (38:38):
Yeah, I want to go to Vegas.
Speaker 6 (38:39):
I went to the first one in the in the
Bay Area, a leviy Stadium.
Speaker 1 (38:41):
Oh you did.
Speaker 2 (38:42):
Weren't even playing, but we went right. You're a Niner,
of course.
Speaker 1 (38:45):
Yeah, I'm a Cowboy fan.
Speaker 2 (38:47):
But my brother, he was born in Texas.
Speaker 3 (38:50):
We're doing We're doing the uh Great Iron Great Celebrity
Golf Tournament in UH Vegas last year in Arizona, and
then we're doing this year in Vegas.
Speaker 1 (39:00):
Yeah we should do something. You guyhoul get involved with us
with Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (39:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (39:04):
We had like fifty NFL players out there last year.
We're looking at a list of even more this year.
Speaker 4 (39:09):
Super Bowl is a good crazy spot though a lot
of security. It goes down there.
Speaker 5 (39:12):
What about you truckle be parked out there?
Speaker 2 (39:15):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (39:16):
Uh me.
Speaker 8 (39:16):
The craziest place I've medicated was actually at the Vatican.
Speaker 2 (39:22):
Yeah over here.
Speaker 8 (39:23):
I snuffed some some disposable carts when I went to
Rome with my in laws too, So it's with the
in laws get there and then I fucking smoked in
the Vatican.
Speaker 2 (39:33):
That's a good one here, Vatican top one in here
and says something better.
Speaker 1 (39:37):
Yeah, I mean that's a good one. That's a good one.
Speaker 3 (39:40):
Question number four of the high five what is your
go to munchie after you get high?
Speaker 2 (39:46):
I like a good chocolate chip cookie. Yeah.
Speaker 6 (39:48):
I used to love costcos, but I feel like the
recipe has changed, so now I'm like looking for a
better one.
Speaker 3 (39:55):
Uh, chocolate chip, chocolate chip cookies, boozies, You're like walnuts and.
Speaker 2 (40:00):
I've had them. Wut your sea salt?
Speaker 1 (40:02):
Yeah, yeah, he's like the sea salt on him too.
Speaker 4 (40:04):
Susie's Susie's, Susi's cupcakes, Susie cupcakes, Crumbles.
Speaker 1 (40:09):
Crumbles guys. Yeah, but those are like overly sweets. Some
times they're like frosty.
Speaker 4 (40:14):
Oh it's like I can't have a bite or two,
and it's like, oh that's great, you need a whole
one of your diabetes is spiking right now.
Speaker 1 (40:22):
That's a good one about you.
Speaker 8 (40:24):
I stay in East l As so I love that
Mexican candy. Everything Mexican watermelon.
Speaker 1 (40:34):
Are the best one right there?
Speaker 4 (40:35):
Question number five of the High five with the folks
from their original Green Cross and Torrents. You guys, God willing,
there'll be the sixth winner six six years in a row,
but it's five times in a row official already.
Speaker 1 (40:47):
So you know you can go shop there and get quality.
Speaker 4 (40:50):
If you can smoke cannabis with anyone dead or alive,
who would it be and wide.
Speaker 6 (40:56):
Probably Bob Marley. Yeah, It's just been the biggest influence
in my life. When I started smoking weed at fourteen,
That's what I gravitated to. The boys would go to
all the reggae festivals and you know, I think that's
reggae has been still a big part of my life.
Speaker 2 (41:10):
Yeah, so yeah, Bob Marley for me.
Speaker 8 (41:12):
So, Chris, I was gonna say Bob Marley because he
said it. I'm gonna say Damian Marley because I look
a lot like that.
Speaker 1 (41:20):
Well, Chris, Chris, you know the thing is, it's crazy
you say that.
Speaker 2 (41:23):
You know.
Speaker 1 (41:24):
Ralphie and I were speaking before we got here, ladies
and gentlemen.
Speaker 3 (41:28):
Damn, he said, oh ship man, you know, listen, is
there anything that you know? We we left out that
you guys want to share with our listeners man and
fans out there, and just to share before we let
you guys off the show.
Speaker 1 (41:44):
Man, We appreciate you guys.
Speaker 2 (41:45):
I just want to say thanks for the opportunity of
letting us on your podcast. Man, this is great.
Speaker 6 (41:50):
This is a huge deal for us. So we're really thankful.
I just want to say, you know, come check us out.
We're we've been around for a long time. You know
what we're doing, and uh we still show compassion and love.
Speaker 2 (42:01):
So sure, what's that address, sixteen fifty eight West Carson Street,
christ Anything.
Speaker 8 (42:06):
Man, Just thank you guys for everything man, just inviting us, uh,
just being so warming, the facility, the tour, the everything, man, Like,
I do appreciate you guys and everything you got past.
Uh and just a big shout out to the Green
Cross Man. Like it takes a lot of work to
do what we do. There's a lot of you know,
companies like Medman and Stizzy who are now like management
(42:28):
companies that just plaster their fucking name on a bunch
of struggling fucking shops up and uh, we ain't that,
you know what I mean, we know what we're talking
about We're here to educate and uh, we're just a
big shout out to the people at Green Cross sales team,
delivery team, purchasing, the managers, the directors, everybody anyone that
steps foot in there and clocks in. I appreciate you,
(42:50):
guys from the bottom of my heart. Man, I appreciate
you guys.
Speaker 1 (42:53):
Hey, man, I haven't felt love for a company like
this to me.
Speaker 4 (42:57):
I got you, guys, I swear, and I know Blue
feels the same way because I'm sitting here emotional my
damn self because your passion and your love for what
you guys do. I want to fuck with you so hard,
like I want to do things with you guys, and
like a pillow talk with you whatever. But the real
fit is, man, your guys is vulnerable love for your staff,
(43:21):
for your leads out of you. I can feel it,
and I love that because I don't normally feel it
like I've never felt it.
Speaker 1 (43:26):
Like that about you.
Speaker 3 (43:27):
Well that's why I even said I was like, man,
I want to help you because I do know I
feel them.
Speaker 1 (43:31):
We know. I don't want to say we know everybody,
but we know all the people.
Speaker 3 (43:34):
In LA for sure that are that are running the
Social Equity program they just took over. There's a whole
new regime there, and you know, we've had extensive conversations
with them on how to help get this thing in order,
you know, and get it cleaned up. And there is
grants that that are available to you, you know what
I mean. There's a whole education platform that you can
(43:54):
go through and we can just connect you.
Speaker 1 (43:56):
And I'm going to just connect you with the right people.
Speaker 8 (43:58):
Can't do it and doing all the email. I get
all the emails I've been doing. I plenty ask you
know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (44:03):
But like you know, yeah, running into the walls.
Speaker 1 (44:05):
Now we're gonna put you on on with the person
that's running ship and.
Speaker 3 (44:09):
Said, I appreciate you guys then yeah.
Speaker 1 (44:13):
And I'm just kidding.
Speaker 5 (44:14):
Man, you give me that, you give me that, I'll
get you a percentage of that. And a big shout
out to Cannabis Talk.
Speaker 8 (44:20):
Man, you guys are amazing from the man, the big
man over here running a real show.
Speaker 2 (44:24):
Ye got all the everybody in here.
Speaker 1 (44:26):
Man there, I don't know about those two idiots hundred.
Speaker 2 (44:31):
Again, and they know I love him to death.
Speaker 1 (44:33):
I talked to them all day every day. I was like, hey,
you know what you guys.
Speaker 4 (44:36):
Thank you guys for telling me you so listen to
me when you guys are older, big boy.
Speaker 1 (44:41):
Well there it is, guys. It's Cannabis Talk one to
one and remember this. If no one else loves you,
we do.
Speaker 9 (44:47):
Thank you for listening to Cannabis Talk one on one
on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get
your podcasts.
Speaker 5 (44:54):
Make sure you like, follow, and subscribe to the show now.
It's on Munchie's tonight.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
Yo, it's Cannabis Talk one oh one. You go line
today did with Blue and.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
Reefer Man right, Olahoma one of the Cannabis Talk one
on one, the world's number one source for everything cannabis.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
My name is Blue. Along the side of.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
Me is mister Joe Grande and you're now tuned in
to the greatest cannabis show on the planet.
Speaker 4 (00:19):
That's right, folks, thank you for listening to our podcast,
Cannabis Talk one on one all.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Around the world.
Speaker 4 (00:23):
Make sure you check out the website Cannabis Talk one
oh one dot com as you have so many great
articles and blogs on the site for you to check
out and so many good readings.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
You could also click on the link for.
Speaker 4 (00:32):
The Cannabis Talk magazine at the very top right there.
Make sure you give us a call anytime one eight
hundred and four twenty nineteen eighty and go check on
our ig pages at Cannabis Talk one oh one.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Well, my brother from another brother, Blue is at the
number one.
Speaker 4 (00:45):
Christopher Wright, Hello, and I am at Joe Bronde fifty two.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
And y'all know what time it is in here, right,
dog dog? That's right. I think Higher with Diamond Industries.
Speaker 4 (00:53):
Find them in California, Arizona, and Oklahoma and abroad in
other countries.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Now as well.
Speaker 4 (00:58):
Check them out online and Dime Industries dot Com on
Instagram at Dime dot Industries Today on the podcast We
Have You Guys. One of the driving forces behind one
of the biggest dispensaries in southern California besides US is
the CEO Rafia Chavez Rock and Chris Ward, the black
Skin brother over there sales director at the original Green
(01:20):
Cross Torrents, a fully permitted cannabis dispensary that is proud
to serve and offers some delivery to twenty one and overs,
you guys, and medicine is their patient's value. Right there
in the South Bay, they've been rocking since two thousand
and six. They're also proud to be fully in compliance
with California's involving cannabis laws, which ensures your safety both
in store and at your home when you purchase cannabis
(01:43):
from green Cross.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
You guys.
Speaker 4 (01:45):
At green Cross, they're passionate about their cannabis and the
education around it, which I love. When it comes to cannabis,
your individual needs and desires dictate your cannabis product needs. Luckily,
the highly knowledgeable staff will guide you and get you
what you need. They'll match you up perfectly, you guys.
Check them out on Instagram at the Original Green Cross.
(02:05):
That's t h e O r I g I n
A l g R e e n c r O
s s the Original Green Cross and online Original Greencross
dot Com to shop for premium cannabis brands today. Go
check them all out, you guys, and see what you're
looking for. They're in the South Bay.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Don't come.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
I'll call it a comeback, folks.
Speaker 4 (02:22):
They've been there for years, so it's not like, oh,
where is this spot at It's the same spot it's
always been. Be sure to drop in on them anytime
eight am to nine to fifty five at the Original
Green Cross Torrents, located at one six five eight West
Carson Street. Look for that sweet bee in Torrents, California,
nine zero five oh one. Without further ado, folks, put
your hands together for mister help me out in Rillo.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Welcome you guys. You like that?
Speaker 5 (02:49):
Hey, thank you?
Speaker 1 (02:49):
You like that?
Speaker 5 (02:50):
Love it?
Speaker 4 (02:51):
You know it's funny. I just started on this podcast.
I don't think you ever heard of me or seating me.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
I've heard of you, so it's funny, never even been
on a mic before you being I don't even know
this yet, but are you from the bay because you
know me from the doghouse, So where are you from?
I look at Joe getting this a clap out about that?
Go ahead, put me up real quick. Well, like he said,
he looks at me and he calls me me. Oh,
he was a fan.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
Everybody was a fan at that time. You were a fan.
I could be so cocky and arrogant about it because
the Joe, So Joe, you wanted to sign your chest.
You know we already took a picture before the show started.
Speaker 4 (03:30):
Come on, I mean, doghouse fans were real like, oh yeah,
I mean it's it was a real like people have
really no idea when I talk about it. Like I
was even telling you Chris going, Chris, you heard me
from the Big Boys neighborhood. He came in and giving
me props early on going, Joe, I got to tell
you fox with you, I've been you know, I grew
up in matt Latin hoods and you know me and blah.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Blah blah, bah blah.
Speaker 4 (03:48):
That's why I said blacks again at the beginning, so
I already had some dialogue with these cats, and then
to know that it's even deeper rooted with you is
even crazier for me with my run.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
But enough about me. You're where are you from?
Speaker 2 (03:59):
The Bay born Rader Salmon Tao? No? No, actually I
was born in Mexico. Oh really Mexican American? Yes, Mexico, Mexican.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
Right, they let you in, so you were born there.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
We're at uh called the Calvillo.
Speaker 4 (04:17):
So you're full Spanish speaking the whole nine huh yes,
l yes, you mentioned the second language.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
That's what my mama was boy.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Advantage, you know. The blue eyes helped out a lot.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Yeah, it's funny. You don't look like a full on
Spaniard like that. Even got Spain though. Yeah, me o
g Louis. Look you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 6 (04:33):
I did the DNA test and it's yeah, it's really
fifty six percent Spanish Spanish.
Speaker 4 (04:37):
Yeah, you have the more Spanish looking because they're the
more wetal you know, life span.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
So when did you move to Bay Area?
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Uh, like in nineteen ninety four probably.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Oh so, right when the doghouse was popping.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Yeah, sorry, no, I didn't move to very ninety four.
Speaker 6 (04:54):
It was in the eighties, Okay, in ninety four, I
was I was in high school.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
That's what he was listening to you. And he said
saying he used to listen to you when he was
a kid. No, high school, you're a young adult. I
mean in trouble, you're kid. We're dating Joe.
Speaker 4 (05:09):
I love when you guys Blue does that. When I
first met him, he goes, I used to listen to you.
I grew up listening to a great fuck you.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
You didn't grow up. I'm not that old. You're already
grown listening to me.
Speaker 4 (05:17):
So from the bay like that. There's a lot of
cannabis from the bay. Is that where the interest started.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Or did it exactly?
Speaker 6 (05:23):
One of my buddies actually had testicular cancer in high
school and he was getting cannabis from one of the
Berkeley shops, and uh, that's where we kind of got
introduced to the whole idea of that medical signs.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
So you start, you were rubbing it on him. You're
rubbing it.
Speaker 5 (05:43):
Before that, it was just how's he doing?
Speaker 1 (05:45):
Now?
Speaker 2 (05:45):
He's great?
Speaker 1 (05:46):
Thank god? They cut his nuts off.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
He lost one that's.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Good, great many exactly.
Speaker 4 (05:54):
Yeah, that's always interesting when people find out cannabis that way,
you know what I mean. I didn't realize that I
started smoke and I was six, but realizing medically we
allla used to put it in the rubbing alcohol, so
like I knew of it as medicine as well, like
in my household, and I thought it was just a
Mexican myth.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
That you know.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
I mean, it's that old school CBD that we didn't
even know was already being.
Speaker 4 (06:13):
Utilized, right like the Mexican culture or the Indian cultures
were like put this in your rubbing alcohol, it will
help you for better or whatever. Yeah, there was no
scientific behind it. My mom was just like, mean, hall West,
what we're doing?
Speaker 1 (06:23):
Shut up? You know what I'm saying. So Bay Area
born and raised are not born and ra born in Mexico.
Raised there? High school in the East Bay.
Speaker 6 (06:31):
No Aragon, Salmonteo, Sam Matao, you're right there in the peninsula.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Yep, that's right.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Nice us a place. What high school?
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Aragon High School?
Speaker 1 (06:39):
And then what did you play sports?
Speaker 7 (06:40):
Not?
Speaker 1 (06:40):
I didn't play sports nothing, huh no, just just smoking weed.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
You went across the Ridge was class president though I presidents.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Look at this class president as president. We're a fucking
team over here. Yeah, that's always nice. And what about you, Anthony?
Where are you from?
Speaker 5 (06:57):
Chris?
Speaker 1 (06:58):
Sorry, I don't.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (07:01):
You know what's funny is Anthony's my brother and you
look nothing like him.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
It must be exactly. Yeah.
Speaker 8 (07:08):
Originally I'm from Charleston, South Carolina, born and raised. Moved
out here when my stepfather met my mom and like.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
What, I was like nine, What do you think about
that move?
Speaker 8 (07:20):
I think it was probably the best thing, you know
what I mean, being light skin mixed in South Carolina.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Yeah, it wasn't too cool and shown to California and
it's like, oh okay, I fit in here.
Speaker 8 (07:31):
And my stepfather's Filipino. So when we moved out here,
we moved to like Eagle Rock, Cypress Park area.
Speaker 5 (07:35):
Yeah, always right in the hood.
Speaker 8 (07:37):
Always lived in either Glasshow Park, Cypress Park, Highland Park.
Speaker 5 (07:42):
Now I stay in East LA, so you know, East
LA born and raised.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
So did you go to high school here in Kelly?
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Yeah? I did.
Speaker 8 (07:48):
I went to a pretty fucked up school called Hillside
Bible Baptist Academy.
Speaker 5 (07:53):
The last school that did corporate punishment.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Did you get hit in school?
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Bro? I was bad.
Speaker 5 (07:59):
I think the pastor had it out for me. Definitely
hate him. Really yeah he did.
Speaker 8 (08:02):
His name was Ray Ramirez. If you're if you're watching
fund yourself.
Speaker 5 (08:06):
Yeah it was uh yeah awesome. Send your children there, no.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
Yeah, right? And did you play.
Speaker 5 (08:14):
Sports or just basketball thing like that? You know that's
my favorite sport. Yeah, you know, mainly just basketball, running.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
Running thing like to run nice.
Speaker 5 (08:23):
You're still doing that light skin, so you know you
run a lot.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
Yeah, from the cops too.
Speaker 5 (08:27):
It's pretty much exactly.
Speaker 4 (08:29):
You know, I've got that Raffael's skin where you can
pull it up and stand there for a little longer.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
Ye what sir, I know I lost my Latin accent.
So I'm here to handle my business's blue eyes.
Speaker 5 (08:38):
That's what it is.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
It does work, you guys.
Speaker 4 (08:40):
So we have original Green Cross Torrents and I know
you got edit dispensary, you got a brand you've been growing.
I want to get into the history of everything that
you've been doing over the Rocky. We're going to take
a break real quick and come back and talk about the.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
Dispensary and your gro history and everything else. Will be
right back after this break. Keep it locked.
Speaker 9 (08:58):
Donald Cannabis Talks one on one on all social media.
Can Cannabis Talk one oh one, Subscribe to our weekly
newsletter on our website Cannabis Talk one on one dot com.
Speaker 7 (09:18):
Cannabis Talk one oh one with Blue and Joe Grunde,
the world's number one source for everything cannabis.
Speaker 4 (09:25):
I don't know if you guys seen the latest edition
of the Cannabis Talk magazine, but it got some great articles,
very cool stories, and it gets yourself a hard copy
today at your local dispensary or a smoke shop near you.
If they don't have one, have them give us a
call one eight hundred and four twenty nineteen eight.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
And if they don't have that and you can't.
Speaker 4 (09:40):
Get it, just go online and check it out Cannabis
Talkmagazine dot com and subscribe.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
Now we've got.
Speaker 4 (09:45):
Chris Ward here, the sales director of the original Greenhouse
cross Points, and Rafael Chabez, the CEO. Raf this is
Is this your first dispensary that you opened or what's
your story?
Speaker 3 (09:56):
Man?
Speaker 1 (09:56):
How you go.
Speaker 4 (09:57):
From living in Mexico moving the Bay area San Mateo.
By the way, I did forty nine days in that
San Mateo jail over there, that's Redwood City. Oh not fun,
but anyhow, well and then there, yeah, Joe, that was Elmwood.
Speaker 6 (10:13):
Joe, I'm actually not the CEO. It's it's a family business.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
Oh.
Speaker 6 (10:16):
I worked with my brother Edward, he's the CEO, and
my wife, Rachel, she's the CFO. Nice, and so I'm
technically a consultant that I consult to the dispensaries and
then other dispensaries that that I'm working on.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
But yeah, I was telling you it's a family. Yeah,
that makes it nice. You said your brother, yeah, older, younger.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
My younger, big brother.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
Yeah, he's bigger than you.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
You're he's like six.
Speaker 1 (10:40):
Nice. So how did you guys get in the game
like this?
Speaker 6 (10:45):
We moved I moved out here with two of my
best friends from the Bay Area in two thousand and five.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
And you shay out here in southern California.
Speaker 6 (10:52):
Uh yeah, so uh going back, like I was saying,
I'm from the Bay Area. I went to the University
of California in Santa Barbara, the first one to graduate
with a degree nice. When I was there, I had
to do it for my mom, you know. President I
think personally college. I would not want my kids going there.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
State do there we go.
Speaker 6 (11:12):
Yeah, But I think it's it's it's it's a waste
of time really if if you don't know what you're
doing and it's just you end up as so much debt.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
As everybody knows.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
College and go for medical, medical or be a lawyer
or something like that.
Speaker 6 (11:23):
Like universities, it's philosophy in there, so they're very woke nowadays. Uh,
if you want to go to like a state school,
then you'll learn a craft or something that you can
be like an architect or or something.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
Uh.
Speaker 6 (11:34):
But yeah, going back to what I was saying, growing
up in the Bay Area, we were introduced to the
medical part of it through that friend of mine. And
then I went to college in Santa Barbara. I read
an article about West Hollywood allowing dispensaries and that I
didn't know that West Hollywood was its own city.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
I thought it was La.
Speaker 6 (11:56):
That I had two buddies that dropped out of college.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
They were going to the city college. Uh, and they
moved up to.
Speaker 6 (12:04):
Chico and they started growing, and so they called and said, hey,
we got a bunch of products.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
What should we do with it?
Speaker 6 (12:11):
I was like, once you guys started dispensary in la
in two thousand and five, and teamed up with another
buddy of ours, Josh Schmidt. He's within the tourro now
up in Sacramento. Really good dude, and I put the
paperwork together and we started right there. It was called
THC Tricombe Healing Caregive.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
I remember, I remember it, yeah, on Van Eys and
Sherman Way, And that was the first one.
Speaker 6 (12:32):
I didn't own that one. My buddies did. My two
buddies did because it was all their their product. But
about a year later I kind of left it out
of respect. I didn't I didn't open a dispensary in
the valley. So I like got a map out and
I was like, where can where can I be that
there isn't anything there?
Speaker 2 (12:46):
And it was Torrance.
Speaker 6 (12:48):
And so the first one we opened, I founded it.
We opened it in Torrance on Hawthorne Boulevard and we
were there for like six months and then we got
shut down by the Chief of Police.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
I remember that, Yeah, was that Chris was that the
no that.
Speaker 6 (13:00):
Was the chief of police was retiring and one DEA
agent and they raided us and shut us down, and
you know, I waited about a month found another spot
that was in La City because that one was in
Torrance and I'm not from out here, so I didn't
know torrans PD had that reputation.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
Oh yeah, still don't.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
Yeah, And I did it the right way.
Speaker 6 (13:21):
I applied for a business license. I told him what
I was doing, a caregiver under Prop. Two fifteen as
ratified by Senate Bill four twenty. They gave me the
license and then when they got in into what we
were doing, that was like the last thing he wanted
to do was was shut us down. And I didn't
even find out about it until the day they were
going to vote at city council. And it was the guy,
one of the reporters that the Daily Breeze came to
(13:43):
the shop and he's like, can I interview you for
for what's going on? I was like, what's going on?
Speaker 9 (13:48):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (13:48):
You know, they're they're about to change the law in Torrance.
Speaker 6 (13:51):
They're gonna they're gonna say we won't issue a business
license to anybody breaking local or state law. They were
going to add federal and once they did that, then
the this license I had was no good.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
Wow, how fun was that. Yeah, did they shut you
down immediately?
Speaker 6 (14:05):
Uh yeah, within like a week. I think no, I
just got out. I actually, uh, I saw several attorneys.
I went and saw that guy, Mark Gooland at the time.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
Yeah, Bruce, but Bruce, you know, he was like, fuck him,
just fight it. You're a you're a you're a collective.
Speaker 6 (14:21):
You don't even need a license. And then I was like,
let me do some research, right, So I holp on
online and I see this case. Uh these two guys
in Modesto, they they got they opened a shop, Modesto
shut him down. A year later, the Feds indeded him.
They fought it. One got like twenty three years, one
got twenty five years. He was just recently in the news,
(14:42):
the guy that got twenty five he was released early.
He was the last cannabis prisoner in California or something
like that. But he did a bunch of time. And
uh so I learned from them. I was like, there's
no fighting the Feds.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
Yeah, oh yeah, they're not gonna win with the Feds.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
So speaking of the Feds, come on in, it's like
fuck And then what happened? And then how do you
where do you go from there. What's the pivot?
Speaker 6 (15:03):
Just driving around Torrents looking for a spot. Yeah, And
I seen this on the corner of Western and Carson.
I saw a video store. This is in two thousand
and six.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
I was like, who's video? So I go in there.
Speaker 6 (15:14):
It's this old Korean man, mister Kim. At the time,
he was fight in his sixties. Now he's like in
the nineties, I think, but he's still my landlord. So
I convinced him.
Speaker 2 (15:22):
I was like, hey, close this thing down, dude, I'll
buy a whole inventory. And he's like, okay, fine.
Speaker 6 (15:27):
And I think his daughter was going to medical school,
so I kind of let her know what we were
doing was he didn't really understand what we were doing,
but he I was like, look, it's not illegal.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
I promise, we're just caregivers.
Speaker 6 (15:38):
And we opened up as a collective there in two
thousand and six six and the corner we're on is
La City. Every the other three corners are Torrents, so
we're right on the edge.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
You're right there on the corner of La City. So
did they did they?
Speaker 7 (15:51):
So?
Speaker 9 (15:52):
They?
Speaker 3 (15:52):
Oh shit, did they license it and and give you
zoning for it?
Speaker 1 (15:57):
Obviously?
Speaker 6 (15:58):
Well back then they didn't have that. It was just
a retail. All they had was a business, just like
La pre Icos. You know it was it was a BTRC,
which is permission to pay tax.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
It didn't mean anything.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
I still got pictures of mine.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (16:10):
Well people try to sell those things back in like
twenty eighteen. Yeah, that's saying it was a license when
it's not. So pre Icos.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
Now have I sold mine that license.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
It's a different certificate, but I sold mine and they
actually got a license with it. Yeah, you know what
I mean because a lot of people, yeah, a lot
of people you know that had the BTRC did get
grandfathered in. But you know, they weren't they weren't transferable,
you know, so you were able to get your own
it technically.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
Right and still I mean we still own them, our
family stones them. Yeah, we have two pre icos.
Speaker 4 (16:36):
And then you guys just grandfathered that in to get
your normal dispensary license, which is down the new license
that are out there.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
Yep. Exactly Is that a.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
Hassle to do that or was it?
Speaker 4 (16:44):
See I would only imagine it would seem easier than
the normal process, or is it the same process?
Speaker 6 (16:48):
I'll be honest, we still don't have an annual license.
We have provisional licenses still.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
Really why and you're pre ico, which is crazy.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
Because the DCR is just understaff.
Speaker 6 (16:59):
They got a lot of stuff to deal with and uh,
they takes them a while to get things processed.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
And so Torrance is Torrents, you know, cool with you.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Now we're in La City, all right, so it's not.
Speaker 6 (17:10):
Really it doesn't matter. We call the police, l E
PD shows up, gotch l A City.
Speaker 1 (17:14):
And you guys have been rocking there since two thousand
and six.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
Now, yeah, since two thousand and six.
Speaker 6 (17:18):
And it's funny because we keep winning best Dispensary in
the South Bay from the Daily Breeze.
Speaker 5 (17:23):
Five times nice, which is a you know, it's a
legit times.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
Five times as you should. How we pay for that?
Speaker 2 (17:31):
No, that's it's voted on.
Speaker 6 (17:37):
Yeah, we're proud of that because yeah, you got by
you can buy pretty much whatever you want, you know.
Speaker 4 (17:42):
Like, yeah, so talk about that. What's in the shop.
What do you guys have there? What's what's the big seller?
Is just your own brand?
Speaker 1 (17:48):
Or what do we got cooking?
Speaker 6 (17:50):
Our director of sales over there and he's uh, he's
really come in swinging. He's gotten sales up, surprisingly because
as you know, we're in a downturn right now. We
can sure, I like to compare it. It was kind
of like a fake peak with all this COVID money
that came in. So that's kind of where the industry
is right now. A lot of these people that own
(18:11):
shops thought that this was going to keep going, sure,
and it's really now. It's down here pre twenty twenty numbers,
but a lot of them didn't realize, Hey, I got
to stop spending and hiring and and living like I'm
making money like this wherever. And that's where the industry
is right now, where people owners aren't realizing like, oh shit,
things have changed. I gotta I gotta go back to
(18:32):
this this because that's.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
Where the numbers are. You know, our sales are down.
The numbers, they're not down, but they're down back to
where they were.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
Pre they're not right COVID because it was deemed everybody
had their checks.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
It was it was.
Speaker 6 (18:47):
Deemed essential, so we were able to stay open and yeah,
business was was good. But it's not just the cannabis industry.
Everybody's it's tough for everybody right now, most industries, you
know that money's not there right now. They say we're
in a recession. Where entering your session, I don't know,
it feels like there's there's there's something going on.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
It feels good. I feel like we're crushing it.
Speaker 4 (19:06):
Sometimes it's hard. It's hard for a lot of people
out there. So, Chris, what are some of the good
SKUs that you guys have in this shop?
Speaker 8 (19:11):
Man, we have man a thousand, maybe a thousand skews
in our shop. So you know, there's nothing that we
don't have. It's probably like it's easier to find what
we don't have.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
Yeah, we downsize.
Speaker 6 (19:21):
We used to have like forty five hundred SKUs and
now we're down probably to a couple thousand.
Speaker 5 (19:25):
Couple thousand.
Speaker 8 (19:26):
Really, some of the best stuff that we have is
the stuff that we personally grow in our own facilities.
The Alta Vedo brand they're rocking with like thirteen different flavors,
all indoor, all fire, all manicured, properly has the testing.
Speaker 5 (19:42):
It's some of the best quality.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
And altivid that this is the house brand for you guys.
Speaker 6 (19:46):
Yeah, so we're we're already integrated our family. We have
crows and we have distribution.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
Oh nice, that helps.
Speaker 2 (19:52):
Yeah, yeah, I.
Speaker 6 (19:53):
Mean we're doing it since two thousand and five, so
you know, I've been able to manage and maintain stuff.
Speaker 2 (19:58):
So, uh, this is one of our newest things.
Speaker 6 (20:01):
It's a it's a it's a subscription box that we
we curate ourselves and uh, it's real popular right now.
Speaker 1 (20:07):
Is that big gas box right there?
Speaker 8 (20:08):
Yeah, those are actually for you guys, So there's actually
stuff in there. So at the end of everything, Yeah,
we got we got a number of things.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
That we got.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
How does this work? How do people get these for us? Jeez?
These are big boxes?
Speaker 8 (20:19):
Can you would donate or excuse me, pay two hundred
bucks for this box? After taxes? It's like two hundred
and seventy bucks. Sorry, I'm from the medicals.
Speaker 3 (20:27):
Is still here, he's still blown away like a taxi.
Speaker 9 (20:33):
He's still doing it the old well and we'll give
you a T shirt and you tap those three times
to say there's no place like home.
Speaker 8 (20:39):
Yeah, so you Uh, it's two hundred bucks for the box,
but there's about four hundred and fifty almost five hundred
bucks worth of cannabis in there.
Speaker 5 (20:45):
So it's a super deal. Uh, they're flying like hotcakes.
Speaker 8 (20:49):
We only have fifty of them available every month, so
it's first come for serve and uh yeah, we're probably
gonna have to have a lot more.
Speaker 1 (20:55):
Of them because it's a pop that's Oh, that'd be
a great deal right there.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
Someone, it's a really good you put a back because
we tream up with.
Speaker 6 (21:01):
Up with brands that you know, give us product the
special costs and you can put that.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
In the box and past the savings.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
You know, I wanted to get delivered to your house,
but wow, I want to hear some of the things
that you know, you think why the industry is slowing
down from you guys, you know, because you know, I
think you guys get to see it from the forefront,
and it's so important for you know, people out there
listening that are like, you know, a lot of people
are hyped up still they don't know what's really going on.
(21:30):
So can you give this like a you know, just
a rundown on what you think, you know, what's holding
us back in California.
Speaker 1 (21:36):
After this break, it's Cannabis Talk one on one.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
Movie right back.
Speaker 9 (21:38):
Yeah, Cannabis Talk one on one on all social media
and Cannabis Talk one on one. Subscribe to our weekly
newsletter on our website, Cannabis Talk one on one dot com.
Speaker 7 (22:01):
Cannabis TC one oh one with Blue and Joe Grande,
the world's number one source for everything cannabis care.
Speaker 4 (22:08):
Your typical of something special, Folks, when it comes in
fuse products, the flavor you taste should be just as
enjoyable as the feeling you experience. Visit the website at
loranoils dot com.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
We have the gentlemen in here from the original Green Cross.
Excuse me in Torrents and Blue.
Speaker 4 (22:25):
Asked you a great question, Rafayel and Chris about where
the industry is at because you're opening up, Rafael about
it's not as big as it was when Covid was here.
Our numbers are back to the early twenty twenty era.
But what is it about this time that you feel,
because we're hearing it from so many companies in the
(22:47):
industry that it's hurting. So many people are owing dispensaries
money that are buying the cannabis from the brands that
aren't paying the brands.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
I mean, you know, we hear about all these things.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
Right, You nailed it right there.
Speaker 6 (22:59):
It's the standard of living that this business has had
because of this COVID pump and not realizing it that
it kind of went away about a year ago, and
they're still spending or hiring or and where where's that
money coming from? If it's not you know, the sales
come in. But right now, since the excise tax is
(23:20):
now being collected by the retailers, about a third of
the money we make every.
Speaker 2 (23:25):
Day is taxes.
Speaker 6 (23:28):
Yeah, so a lot of the dispensaries are spending that
money to operate or to continue their way of life,
whatever it is, it's being spent, and then the state's
not getting it. So I think there's like two hundred
shops that are in jeopardy of losing their licenses because
their arrears in the first two quarters of taxes, at
least from what I've read. But that's basically what it is.
(23:49):
There's it was a huge pump, and now it's corrected.
It's a huge correction.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
Now.
Speaker 6 (23:54):
The other thing would be like, you know, there's just
too there's too much product out there and not enough consumers,
or the taxation taxes are really high. People rather spend
it in the black market where they don't have to
pay those taxes.
Speaker 2 (24:07):
Yeah, and the state has to do a better job
of addressing that. They're really not doing anything, you know,
And is there a solution. Yeah, reduce the taxes.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
That's it.
Speaker 6 (24:17):
Why is it thirty five percent? It's ridiculous. There's no
other industry that's tax like that. I was trying to
compare it to gas. I mean, even gas it's thirty
five cents a gallon, but a gallon's like six dollars.
Speaker 2 (24:27):
It's that's nothing.
Speaker 1 (24:29):
Yeah, exact.
Speaker 8 (24:30):
Not only that, Like you got the you got five
thousand trap shops in LA and you only got like
five hundred of us.
Speaker 5 (24:36):
You get what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (24:37):
So, yeah, how do you guys even deal with that?
Having a shop like that and people knowing you? Chris, Like, okay,
you know you got your man of the streets, You're
a man of the hoods.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
Who we kidding? You know what I mean?
Speaker 4 (24:46):
And you go out there and you know where these
shops are. You may even know people that work there.
Speaker 5 (24:50):
Oh yeah, well, you know, it's all about education.
Speaker 8 (24:51):
You got to let them know the difference between what
we offer and what they offer. How their meds aren't
tested for pesticides, molds, mildew, just all kinds of chemicals
that shouldn't be used.
Speaker 5 (25:03):
Non do too.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
You're gonna buy a brownie that has a thousand milligrams.
Speaker 6 (25:08):
And yeah, that's one of the stories we get the most,
is people coming in and saying, I haven't touched weed
in twenty years because it's the brownie story.
Speaker 2 (25:17):
I had a brownie.
Speaker 6 (25:17):
And it's so now they come in and they want
to you know, they want measured and they want doses
and and you know, we've seen a shift in our
customer base from twenty eighteen forward. Pre twenty eighteen, pre legalization,
it was a lot of younger guys. Now it's a
lot of middle aged people, older people, middle aged people
(25:39):
getting products for older people as well. So it's people
that don't have the plug. You know, it's the reality.
It's like I don't have a dealer I can call,
so I'll go to the shop.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
I like it there. It's nice. People are good.
Speaker 4 (25:52):
So crazy when you say that, because I think that's
the hard part for dispensaries, right, like legal dispensaries who
spend their hard earned life and doing the family business.
And then it's like, you know, everybody that's younger.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
Has a plug.
Speaker 4 (26:05):
Oh yeah, yeah, well as we did when we're growing up,
because we all have plugs growing up, right.
Speaker 8 (26:09):
It's like trapshot get shut down, they open up like
a day or two later, you know what I mean.
Speaker 5 (26:13):
So it's it's not hard for us as long as
we educate the people.
Speaker 1 (26:17):
You know, Yeah, call me, I got some weed for you.
Speaker 8 (26:22):
But you know, once they can process all the social
equity candidates, I think that's going to be a game
changer as well. Yeah, I personally am a social equity candidate.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
I've missed.
Speaker 8 (26:30):
Uh, I'm one of the original two hundred still waiting,
missed like four four or five freaking lotteries.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
What was your story? How'd you get busted?
Speaker 8 (26:39):
I got popped for a manufacturing concentrates back when it
was a gray area, you know what I mean? Uh,
you know, instead of bringing my shop into it, I
just took the whole hit and just you.
Speaker 5 (26:48):
Know, as you should, you know, manned up.
Speaker 1 (26:51):
That's gonna work out for them.
Speaker 8 (26:52):
But because that happened, I was able to, Oh, you
can have a shop, you're a you're a marijuana fell
and we're going to legalize weed, which I'm still waiting for.
Speaker 5 (26:59):
You know what I mean. So you know it sounded great.
Speaker 3 (27:02):
We actually know some people over there. You know what
I'm saying that that we do actually that are really
in the forefront of that. Yeah that you know, I'd
like to introduce you to Bro what I'm saying to
shut up?
Speaker 2 (27:12):
Bro?
Speaker 1 (27:13):
Yeah, we know right well, and they got love for us.
They came on the show.
Speaker 5 (27:19):
That means that means the world to me and my family.
Speaker 2 (27:21):
Bro.
Speaker 4 (27:22):
I know we'll be no because it's so real like
that You're part of the first two hundred.
Speaker 1 (27:26):
Yeah, you know it's it's it's for real, like we
Arey Brown.
Speaker 8 (27:29):
I think I'm like, yeah, I think I'm like one
eighty three five. I'm like below two hundred from the
first round.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
And even though old girl that was here the other
day too, you know, we know we got we did.
We got a couple of people that emotional while you
get emotions.
Speaker 8 (27:41):
It's been along road in cannabis, you know for me,
so you know, I've been working at the you know
when it was medical, worked at a Rastafarian spot owned
by New Jersey weed Man and Pat Duffman I know
y'all know them out there, and then worked with brother
Dan who owns the Librea Collective in Hollywood.
Speaker 5 (28:00):
I rocked with them for about ten eleven years.
Speaker 8 (28:03):
That's when I had caught my f when I was
working for one of the biggest out there. And then uh,
someone that was actually you know, vending pot to that dispensary.
His name was Aaron, introduced me to Rafa and Ed
and all of them, you know what I mean. So
it's just been a long journey, you know, I've been
through all that. I've making concentrates, a freaking burned the
(28:25):
hell out of my arms, lost all the skin on
my arms. And I love doing concentrates. If you paid
me to do it, I'd still do it, you.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
Know what I mean.
Speaker 5 (28:32):
So and now I'm managing I'm not managing them.
Speaker 3 (28:34):
I got a back room right now, tubes and yeah,
the O G style.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 8 (28:41):
But you know, I started at the Green Cross as
a bud tender, worked my way up to a lead,
worked my way up to a sales manager, and now
I'm the director of sales. So it's been a long
fucking journey for me and my family.
Speaker 1 (28:54):
You know.
Speaker 8 (28:55):
I remember when they're like stop smoking weed, Christ, you
smoke too much weed.
Speaker 5 (28:58):
Yeah, you know, And now it's just.
Speaker 1 (29:01):
And now it's Chris. Can we get some weed? Can
get Can I get some of that weed that you
got to.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
Discount?
Speaker 10 (29:12):
Yeah?
Speaker 9 (29:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (29:13):
Is They're funny how it all changes once they realize,
oh my god, this is it's actually kind.
Speaker 1 (29:18):
Of good for you if I do it this way,
you know.
Speaker 4 (29:20):
And I really am so into the fact that, you know,
you guys come from the which I look at as
the Blue Way, the medical way, right because you know,
Blue Hat was doing that too when he had his
illegal shops running that were legal and helping patients and
everything else.
Speaker 1 (29:36):
And to me, when I hear.
Speaker 4 (29:39):
People who come from that, that's real love, man, you
know what I mean. And that's just real love period.
Not just love for the plant. That's love for human nature.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (29:49):
Because your boy who lost the testicle, who went to
Berkeley and you were sitting there learning about it early
on to doing what you're doing now, to do all that,
that's that's commendable, you guys. I really look at what
you guys are doing over there at the original Green
Cross and Torrents and say that's the type of company
and dispensary that people should fuck with and go to
(30:09):
because these are the guys that and God blessed those
that are the business ones that just wanted the business
and just started cool.
Speaker 1 (30:16):
No love, look just put it that, you guys put
in that footwork, you know what I mean.
Speaker 6 (30:19):
Yeah, Like the compassion is really it's real brought us
this level of success. We still have great deals for
our medical patients, you know, for veterans. I mean, compassion's
always been a big part of it. In fact, I
think that was the first article that got written about
us in the Daily Breeze.
Speaker 2 (30:34):
It was about I have it in my office. It
says that compassion comes out of cost.
Speaker 6 (30:39):
Yeah, and that's really what it was because we were
looking at you know, federal charges. You know, it's always
been it's been a roller coaster for We've been doing
this in two thousand and six, two thousand and five,
and I thought it was going to be all all
gravy come twenty eighteen, But really it was just a reset.
Speaker 2 (30:56):
You know.
Speaker 5 (30:57):
It's like and now it's.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
Now, it's now where it is.
Speaker 6 (31:00):
But you know, I always think of of of the
cannabis industry as a recession proof industry, kind of like alcohol,
you know, it's when times get bad, people consume more
more product. So I don't really I don't really think
that the industry is bad right now as far as clientele. Uh,
(31:21):
it's just the taxation is really what's killing us. And
you know there's gonna be a correction that's already happening.
A lot of companies have failed, bigger companies are coming
in and buying them up, and you know, that's kind
of where.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
The industry is right now. But it's not going anywhere.
You know.
Speaker 6 (31:37):
The next step, like I was telling you earlier, is
a federal decriminalization and then that's when the big money
comes in and hopefully everybody gets a nice paycheck and
cashes out, rides off into the sunset.
Speaker 1 (31:47):
Yeah, will rough here or what else you got going on?
Speaker 9 (31:50):
Though?
Speaker 1 (31:50):
I know you got all this.
Speaker 4 (31:51):
You know you're vertically integrated. Where are the other dispensaries
that you have popping off at?
Speaker 6 (31:55):
We have one in North Hollywood on Van Owen that
should be opening opening up here soon in the next
month or two.
Speaker 1 (32:00):
Oh really North Hollywood?
Speaker 2 (32:01):
Okay? Yeah?
Speaker 6 (32:02):
And then we had one and what uh closest would
be Market Lancashem right there.
Speaker 1 (32:09):
And uh, the target right over there, if I'm not mistaken. Yeah.
Speaker 6 (32:12):
Uh, the other one we had was in Venice. It
still is in Venice, but that one that was like
a crazy story. With that one, I did a deal,
a management deal with a bigger company and they kind
of just didn't they get you out now, they failed
and then I got it back. But then the landlord
they they've failed to like extend the lease. So the
(32:33):
landlord got mad and kicked us out.
Speaker 1 (32:36):
But you're looking for a new location.
Speaker 2 (32:38):
Or yeah, looking for a new location in Venice.
Speaker 6 (32:40):
But then I found out because of the last round
of social equity, they issued licenses and those can be
anywhere in La City.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
Now I can move anywhere. Nice. So yeah, looking to move.
Speaker 6 (32:51):
But you know, I'm not sure if this is the
best time to open up a store right now.
Speaker 1 (32:55):
Sure, so, yeah, it's it's it's definitely tricky, you know, at.
Speaker 6 (33:00):
Least here in California. Yeah, but I am working on
one in New York. I'm consulting on one out there
in Long Island. It's called Big Apple Budco. You'd be
opening up for delivery in the next couple of months,
and then you know, you're dealing with different municipalities everywhere.
Speaker 2 (33:14):
So there you got to it's licensing permitted.
Speaker 6 (33:16):
So we're looking at like nine to ten months just
to get the permits to build it out, you know.
Speaker 1 (33:21):
Yeah, and how is that in New York?
Speaker 4 (33:22):
Talk about the differences between New York legalization and California legalization.
Speaker 6 (33:27):
New York is where we were in like twenty sixteen,
twenty seventeen, where they have a ton of trap shops
out there. There's only twenty legal dispensaries over there right now.
And over there the first round is similar to here,
a social equity round, but over there they're really ambitious.
So over there, the social equity candidates get a turn
(33:49):
key dispensary location, built out, everything paid for by this
yeah Dasney and a fund. Yeah, but it's it's over ambitious.
I mean they've only open twenty they were you know,
they're trying to get the whole two hundred million they
were supposed to raise. I think they finally got it,
so they're rolling them out slowly. But over there, you know,
(34:11):
the the trappers over there really outdid the trappers here
because they.
Speaker 1 (34:14):
Took they took it to a whole nother lit.
Speaker 6 (34:17):
It on wheels, you know, they had these food trucks
that were just driving around Times Square selling product to everybody, and.
Speaker 1 (34:23):
And the cops just don't bother me.
Speaker 6 (34:25):
No, they finally cracked down on that, finally started cracking
down on that, impounded over one hundred of those vehicles.
Speaker 1 (34:32):
That's crazy to think there's that many people that said bucket,
let's go.
Speaker 3 (34:35):
Yeah, they're still doing it. Yeah, they're just low key
about it now. They're not just yeah, we sell cannabis, not.
Speaker 1 (34:41):
A Green Cross on it driving up in the middle.
Speaker 2 (34:43):
Of Times Square, Yes, exactly, CD doubt on whatever.
Speaker 4 (34:51):
Well, you guys, we'd like to do the high five
with everybody that comes in here on the show. And
I'm telling you, Chris, thank you for getting emotional and vulnerable.
Speaker 1 (34:58):
Man. We love that. And you know we're really gonna
do some ship to help you out for real, real shit.
Speaker 2 (35:02):
That appreciate you.
Speaker 4 (35:03):
Just talk over here, Rafael, both of you guys. Your
journey has been amazing. Folks hearing what they're doing over
there at the original Green Cross in Torrents.
Speaker 1 (35:12):
You hear what the company is about.
Speaker 4 (35:13):
You know what I mean, It's not just a place
where you want to go in there and by the
most expensive weed, you know, the safe it's the safest weed.
And they care about their patients. And I'm imagining you
guys got great bud tenders are very well educated. We
have because of what you guys do. You have to
train them well.
Speaker 2 (35:28):
We have the best.
Speaker 8 (35:29):
We have an education procedure that we do put them
through training that from growing everything everything I've been.
Speaker 4 (35:39):
Yeah, you guys come from that medical side where everyone
works here has to be educated.
Speaker 2 (35:42):
We're just selling shop has been there since two thousand
and six.
Speaker 5 (35:45):
We're not the five time best shop in the South
Bay for no reason.
Speaker 8 (35:48):
And we're gonna work on the sixth. That's that's what
we gotta working on. We're gonna get that six We
got the ice cream truck coming out. We're gonna be
able to be mobile, so we're gonna be coming all
your delivery.
Speaker 6 (36:00):
The ice cream model is you basically have thirty percent
of your sales. I think it's thirty here have to
be prepaid, and then the other seventy You can park somewhere,
put a like a barcode for your menu, they order,
pay and then just come to the window and pick
it up.
Speaker 2 (36:17):
Maybe I got out of a concert.
Speaker 8 (36:19):
This Friday is gonna be our first soft opening. We're
gonna do Nondo Beach, So we're gonna be out for
like three to five hours something like that. Yeah, man,
we're gonna that's gonna We're gonna be at the twenty
one twenty one Savage and Drake concert.
Speaker 1 (36:30):
We got a whole list, a whole list.
Speaker 5 (36:32):
Of things that we're gonna be hitting, so we should collabse.
Speaker 1 (36:35):
Yeah, were you guys?
Speaker 3 (36:37):
I got some some other things that I was, you know,
gonna bring to you guys too that we'll talk off out.
Speaker 5 (36:42):
Definitely exposed it all and give too much out.
Speaker 1 (36:45):
Yeah, but it's gonna be nice. Well, let's hit this
high five.
Speaker 4 (36:47):
You guys will go in the order off the allio
answer first, Christ your answer second. We're going with the
sixth time award winning I'm already calling it you guys,
the crew from the original.
Speaker 1 (36:56):
Green Cross Torrents. It's the high five. How old were
we the first time you smoked canabis? And where'd you
get it? From?
Speaker 2 (37:01):
Fourteen from my neighbor Justin.
Speaker 10 (37:04):
It old Justin Samitteo, Sanmitteo. Yeah, Justin's out in Vegas, Chris,
and I was about fifteen. And it was my cousin
Michael Domante. We smoked it on top of a roof,
out of trouble, getting down.
Speaker 9 (37:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (37:20):
Question number two of the High five, what is your
favorite way to use or smoke cannabis?
Speaker 2 (37:25):
I like to roll a joint? Yeah, just what kind
of joint? Zig zag?
Speaker 1 (37:29):
Yeah, exact nation little joint? Okay.
Speaker 4 (37:31):
Any favorite weed that you guys that you're like, Okay,
I like to go to this, you know.
Speaker 6 (37:35):
I love a really strong indica, like a O. G. Cush,
but only because it tests my mind. I get so
like paranoid and like, yeah, but usually a sativa something
that chill or makes brings out of my creative nice.
Speaker 1 (37:51):
What about you, Chris?
Speaker 5 (37:51):
Like to roll a joint? I don't like pre roles.
Speaker 8 (37:53):
Pre Roles are kind of like you know, cut, you know,
and so I like to roll my own cannabis with
like unbleached papers, raw or you know. I like the
elements that are those are really nice. And then I
don't do in the course the tivah.
Speaker 2 (38:09):
I do it all.
Speaker 5 (38:09):
I'm not a weed racist. I like it all.
Speaker 4 (38:17):
Question number three of the High five, Craziest place you
ever used or smoked cannabis.
Speaker 6 (38:22):
I've been to a couple of Super Bowls that I
always blazing the super Bowl.
Speaker 1 (38:26):
That's good. Which ones I've been like three?
Speaker 2 (38:28):
My three?
Speaker 1 (38:29):
Oh you went to the last three. That was good.
That's fun. There's nothing better in my point than big
sporting events. Super Bowls.
Speaker 2 (38:38):
Yeah, I want to go to Vegas.
Speaker 6 (38:39):
I went to the first one in the in the
Bay Area, a leviy Stadium.
Speaker 1 (38:41):
Oh you did.
Speaker 2 (38:42):
Weren't even playing, but we went right. You're a Niner,
of course.
Speaker 1 (38:45):
Yeah, I'm a Cowboy fan.
Speaker 2 (38:47):
But my brother, he was born in Texas.
Speaker 3 (38:50):
We're doing We're doing the uh Great Iron Great Celebrity
Golf Tournament in UH Vegas last year in Arizona, and
then we're doing this year in Vegas.
Speaker 1 (39:00):
Yeah we should do something. You guyhoul get involved with us
with Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (39:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (39:04):
We had like fifty NFL players out there last year.
We're looking at a list of even more this year.
Speaker 4 (39:09):
Super Bowl is a good crazy spot though a lot
of security. It goes down there.
Speaker 5 (39:12):
What about you truckle be parked out there?
Speaker 2 (39:15):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (39:16):
Uh me.
Speaker 8 (39:16):
The craziest place I've medicated was actually at the Vatican.
Speaker 2 (39:22):
Yeah over here.
Speaker 8 (39:23):
I snuffed some some disposable carts when I went to
Rome with my in laws too, So it's with the
in laws get there and then I fucking smoked in
the Vatican.
Speaker 2 (39:33):
That's a good one here, Vatican top one in here
and says something better.
Speaker 1 (39:37):
Yeah, I mean that's a good one. That's a good one.
Speaker 3 (39:40):
Question number four of the high five what is your
go to munchie after you get high?
Speaker 2 (39:46):
I like a good chocolate chip cookie. Yeah.
Speaker 6 (39:48):
I used to love costcos, but I feel like the
recipe has changed, so now I'm like looking for a
better one.
Speaker 3 (39:55):
Uh, chocolate chip, chocolate chip cookies, boozies, You're like walnuts and.
Speaker 2 (40:00):
I've had them. Wut your sea salt?
Speaker 1 (40:02):
Yeah, yeah, he's like the sea salt on him too.
Speaker 4 (40:04):
Susie's Susie's, Susi's cupcakes, Susie cupcakes, Crumbles.
Speaker 1 (40:09):
Crumbles guys. Yeah, but those are like overly sweets. Some
times they're like frosty.
Speaker 4 (40:14):
Oh it's like I can't have a bite or two,
and it's like, oh that's great, you need a whole
one of your diabetes is spiking right now.
Speaker 1 (40:22):
That's a good one about you.
Speaker 8 (40:24):
I stay in East l As so I love that
Mexican candy. Everything Mexican watermelon.
Speaker 1 (40:34):
Are the best one right there?
Speaker 4 (40:35):
Question number five of the High five with the folks
from their original Green Cross and Torrents. You guys, God willing,
there'll be the sixth winner six six years in a row,
but it's five times in a row official already.
Speaker 1 (40:47):
So you know you can go shop there and get quality.
Speaker 4 (40:50):
If you can smoke cannabis with anyone dead or alive,
who would it be and wide.
Speaker 6 (40:56):
Probably Bob Marley. Yeah, It's just been the biggest influence
in my life. When I started smoking weed at fourteen,
That's what I gravitated to. The boys would go to
all the reggae festivals and you know, I think that's
reggae has been still a big part of my life.
Speaker 2 (41:10):
Yeah, so yeah, Bob Marley for me.
Speaker 8 (41:12):
So, Chris, I was gonna say Bob Marley because he
said it. I'm gonna say Damian Marley because I look
a lot like that.
Speaker 1 (41:20):
Well, Chris, Chris, you know the thing is, it's crazy
you say that.
Speaker 2 (41:23):
You know.
Speaker 1 (41:24):
Ralphie and I were speaking before we got here, ladies
and gentlemen.
Speaker 3 (41:28):
Damn, he said, oh ship man, you know, listen, is
there anything that you know? We we left out that
you guys want to share with our listeners man and
fans out there, and just to share before we let
you guys off the show.
Speaker 1 (41:44):
Man, We appreciate you guys.
Speaker 2 (41:45):
I just want to say thanks for the opportunity of
letting us on your podcast. Man, this is great.
Speaker 6 (41:50):
This is a huge deal for us. So we're really thankful.
I just want to say, you know, come check us out.
We're we've been around for a long time. You know
what we're doing, and uh we still show compassion and love.
Speaker 2 (42:01):
So sure, what's that address, sixteen fifty eight West Carson Street,
christ Anything.
Speaker 8 (42:06):
Man, Just thank you guys for everything man, just inviting us, uh,
just being so warming, the facility, the tour, the everything, man, Like,
I do appreciate you guys and everything you got past.
Uh and just a big shout out to the Green
Cross Man. Like it takes a lot of work to
do what we do. There's a lot of you know,
companies like Medman and Stizzy who are now like management
(42:28):
companies that just plaster their fucking name on a bunch
of struggling fucking shops up and uh, we ain't that,
you know what I mean, we know what we're talking
about We're here to educate and uh, we're just a
big shout out to the people at Green Cross sales team,
delivery team, purchasing, the managers, the directors, everybody anyone that
steps foot in there and clocks in. I appreciate you,
(42:50):
guys from the bottom of my heart. Man, I appreciate
you guys.
Speaker 1 (42:53):
Hey, man, I haven't felt love for a company like
this to me.
Speaker 4 (42:57):
I got you, guys, I swear, and I know Blue
feels the same way because I'm sitting here emotional my
damn self because your passion and your love for what
you guys do. I want to fuck with you so hard,
like I want to do things with you guys, and
like a pillow talk with you whatever. But the real
fit is, man, your guys is vulnerable love for your staff,
(43:21):
for your leads out of you. I can feel it,
and I love that because I don't normally feel it
like I've never felt it.
Speaker 1 (43:26):
Like that about you.
Speaker 3 (43:27):
Well that's why I even said I was like, man,
I want to help you because I do know I
feel them.
Speaker 1 (43:31):
We know. I don't want to say we know everybody,
but we know all the people.
Speaker 3 (43:34):
In LA for sure that are that are running the
Social Equity program they just took over. There's a whole
new regime there, and you know, we've had extensive conversations
with them on how to help get this thing in order,
you know, and get it cleaned up. And there is
grants that that are available to you, you know what
I mean. There's a whole education platform that you can
(43:54):
go through and we can just connect you.
Speaker 1 (43:56):
And I'm going to just connect you with the right people.
Speaker 8 (43:58):
Can't do it and doing all the email. I get
all the emails I've been doing. I plenty ask you
know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (44:03):
But like you know, yeah, running into the walls.
Speaker 1 (44:05):
Now we're gonna put you on on with the person
that's running ship and.
Speaker 3 (44:09):
Said, I appreciate you guys then yeah.
Speaker 1 (44:13):
And I'm just kidding.
Speaker 5 (44:14):
Man, you give me that, you give me that, I'll
get you a percentage of that. And a big shout
out to Cannabis Talk.
Speaker 8 (44:20):
Man, you guys are amazing from the man, the big
man over here running a real show.
Speaker 2 (44:24):
Ye got all the everybody in here.
Speaker 1 (44:26):
Man there, I don't know about those two idiots hundred.
Speaker 2 (44:31):
Again, and they know I love him to death.
Speaker 1 (44:33):
I talked to them all day every day. I was like, hey,
you know what you guys.
Speaker 4 (44:36):
Thank you guys for telling me you so listen to
me when you guys are older, big boy.
Speaker 1 (44:41):
Well there it is, guys. It's Cannabis Talk one to
one and remember this. If no one else loves you,
we do.
Speaker 9 (44:47):
Thank you for listening to Cannabis Talk one on one
on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get
your podcasts.
Speaker 5 (44:54):
Make sure you like, follow, and subscribe to the show now.
Hosts And Creators
Joe Grande
Marc Wasserman
Craig Wasserman
Christopher Wright (Blue)
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