All too often we take our health for granted until it’s too late, yet there are many people out there who have to fight for their health from the day they were born.

When things get hard and the outlook doesn’t look too great, it’s easy to throw in the towel and give up, but some of us are born to live life to the fullest no matter what life throws at them. Recently we had the pleasure of catching up with a young entrepreneur on the cannabis scene, Reckless aka IG: therecklessgrower, who has found cannabis to be the key to overcoming his darkest and most difficult days.

Hey, Reckless, thanks for taking the time to speak with us. Why don’t you tell us about your story?

Not a problem at all, thanks for getting in touch. I’ve not really been interviewed before, so it’s kinda exciting and interesting. I was born with a club foot and the doctors decided to do an experimental procedure to fix it. The first procedure failed and it wasn’t until years later that it became clear to me that I was basically a guinea-pig for them trying new things. I ended up with ligament and muscle being removed and then my tendons got clipped together and they removed more muscle to sort of twist it back into line.

Wow. That sounds brutal! So, how many procedures did you need to have, if you don’t mind me asking?

After five surgeries from nine months to ten years old they told me that I wouldn’t be able to walk/run correctly. As the first attempt was unsuccessful the foot continued to turn so they had to try all different approaches. Eventually, I was left with imbalance of my limbs which was difficult to deal with both physically and mentally but I refused to use crutches despite the pain. I didn’t want anything to make me stand-out from the other kids and I didn’t want to be seen as ‘different’ because of it. Even now my right foot is still completely bruised and scarred and it’s a reminder of what I went through as a child, but it doesn’t bother me to look at. Mainly, I did not want to give up and give in to a life of immobility. I hate laziness – I’m always doing something, you know?

Did you need to take a lot medication when you were young?

All that time they had me taking prescription drugs, lots of different painkillers including OxyContin and Xanax – which at the time I had no idea did so much harm to the body or the mind. I really didn’t like taking them but I didn’t really have a choice. I think I was probably about 12 when I began to realize that recreationally smoking with my friends actually helped my condition tremendously. The pills were supposed to take away the pain, which they sometimes did, but they didn’t really make a difference to my mobility; smoking just made everything seem easier and I could keep up with everyone else.By the age 13 I was able to start self-medicating with cannabis in the state of Florida. It helped with pain I would otherwise suffer with constantly every day, and I was able to play sports, BMX, skateboard and snowboard. I got the nickname Reckless, for what are probably obvious reasons, when I was living in Utah at the age of 16. Super fun times back then – jumping off cliffs and riding hard. Eventually, I moved to Cali at 17.

Setting out on your own and seeing what happened?

Honestly, I was just trying to live my life to the fullest, trying out different things to see what one stuck with me. I’ve had a lifelong love of the country life and being outdoors, so there was plenty to keep me busy out that way. When I moved to California I was very interested in cannabis culture. I was always listening to Mendo Dope and networking with few other cannabis influencers and I realized that I wanted to get into that industry. I ended up getting a job at a medical delivery service near Sacramento, just to keep on top of my bills, and within a year I was able to work my way up to a management position and then started working in San Francisco.

It was a fun time which really helped me build my knowledge and experience of how the new industry works. I even thought about maybe setting up my own store but the legal scene is too costly to get involved in currently (with the cost of temporary licenses and the amount of upfront costs being excessive and difficult to recuperate). I saw how much work there is to get product ready to sell and all the packaging has to be in-line with requirements of state law and it becomes an extensive procedure which all adds up. I was happy with my job so I just thought I would carry on with that.

How come you decided to move on?

Well, I soon realized there was still some gray area legally with cannabis. A couple of times I was pulled over while out making deliveries or picking up stock and the officers just looked over my documentation, rang their superiors to clarify the situation and let me go on with my work. One out of the four times that I was pulled over in San Francisco with a duffel bag full of cannabis products in the car I was arrested.

The cop rolled up to my car when I was parked and came over to my passenger window – my windows are tinted so he didn’t see me to start with, but when he saw me he changed and started asking about if there was weed in the car. I explained what I was doing and showed him the paperwork from the office. He looked at me and obviously saw that I had a leaf print on my shirt and saw me as an easy target and then he pulled me out the car and slapped me in cuffs.

Since my name wasn’t on the state compliance papers, and they wouldn’t let me call my boss, I had no proof I was working for the company I worked for. So, after 13 hours and no phone calls my family finally found out I where I was, booked me out and I was able to go home. Luckily, I got all charges dismissed on false pretences when I finally got in front of a judge, but it took a good while to clear up and it made me realize that it’s not all that straightforward to be legit.

After that I quit my job and had to get out of the cannabis industry to think about my next move. Not even a year later I regretted that decision, I wanted to get back into the industry.

So, what did you do?

This time I was going to be smart about it and try to build my own brand which showed my love for the plant and the people who work in the scene to keep the dream alive. I was always working on social media and often I was wearing other people’s clothing lines to promote them. One day I thought to myself, ‘Hey, I wear hats every day, so why not make one of my own and wear it online in the photos? I had a really good response and I started to develop my own brand which you can find on IG and online. Now I’m just out meeting people, networking, making friends and building my reputation up online.

Making a name for yourself is never easy, but sometimes you just have to dig-in deep and get ready to grind.

That’s true.

Thanks a lot for speaking to us and we wish you all the best in the future.

Hey, thanks a lot for reaching out! Can I just give a quick shout-out to Acres and Mendo Dope for doing what they do and to Weed World for the opportunity? Thanks.

You certainly can. Thanks again.

Published and Written By Psy-23 In Weed World Magazine Issue 145