TSC Talks guest Tyrone Williams is a Proud Fatherš£ Direct From Source SupplieršæLicensed THC and Hemp Product Acquisition and Quality Control Specialistš¤Problem Solver. This is his story of life in the fast lane in the early days of the cannabis industry in Southern California. Tyrone grew up with a father involved in some of the riskier smuggling operations in the industry, his uncle being killed by the cartel and his mother as a beacon of safety and strength.
In this episode, Tyrone walks us through the timeline of his life, detailing one challenge after tragedy after another. He is passionate about the potential of cannabis to revolutionize the world, has deep knowledge of multiple aspects of the cannabis industry, and speaks with passion and purpose about the lack of equity in the industry, as well as the need to respect the living history of those that have sacrificed, lost and suffered defending their right to use the plant over the years. He makes note repeatedly that itās not the cannabis business of today, where we take for granted the reduced stigma and ease of access, but the gritty illegal side of the business, that of Netflix docudramas, in which his father and other relatives were immersed when he was born. Despite the high stakes danger and tragic outcomes of these illegal operations, they laid the groundwork for the movement toward marijuana legalization and reform that exists today.
Tyroneās early years were defined by excitement, tragedy, and turmoil; āOne of my first memories is sitting in a pile of money and throwing it up and throwing up in the air like Richie Rich. When I was three years old, we dropped my uncle off at the airport and he was shot down by the Mexican military on his way back. on his way back. He was a very, very good pilot and
It was a C130 plane so thereās no way that it would have just fallen out of the skyā
Despite this tragedy and others, Tyrone mentions his mother and grandmother as positive influences, āYeah, I didnāt have any guidance. I didnāt have anyone to look to except for my grandmother on my momās side. You know she and my mom gave me my work ethic and my ability to love. I will always love them for that because, you know, for my first five years, I had nothing but love and even though there were these events. They werenāt tragic to me, because I was so young. And my mom was still, you know, she was running around with me in a carrier, and she was a thrift store shopper. She didnāt care about moneyā
He expresses his deep desire to be there for his son, āthe second half of my life is going to be where I put my legacy together for my son. Heās getting four As and 2 Bs. He just got his report card. Heās doing so good in school, heās loving it. Heās got, friends. I mean, heās happy and he really loves that we have a good relationship. We talk all the time. And you know, we do stuff. Itās something that I didnāt have whatsoever, so I know exactly what to give him. Yesterday I got an argument with my dad. And I actually thanked him for being you tell me exactly what not to doā
In describing how he was able to learn from all the trauma, fighting and things he saw going on, āI donāt believe in arguments because all it does is piss both parties off. But I do believe in communication and discussion. Yeah, we can agree to disagree, but lets at least listen both over each other sides and not try to make either of us feel like weāre inferior to the other. Because thereās that starts to occur, then people close down and nothingās heard whatsoever. ā Amen Tyrone.
Relating his frustrations with the influx of people into the industry with ācertificates and resumesā and bypassing those who have deep lived experience in the industry, real-time. Those who are passed over frequently when in many cases they are far more knowledgeable and educated than those who merely sat in a classroom and were taught about the plant, āI mean, these companies come in and I was brokering trim and there was a couple of companies that came into California and bought all the trim up and now itās $2 higher than what it was before. And they just priced me out of everything. And then if you want to get any type of position with any of these companies they want you to have some resume that shows that you went to some stupid school to get some freakin ācertificate that shows that you can do something.ā
One of his ongoing concerns with the industry, āSo thatās another problem with this influx of new money into the industry is that people are so greedy that theyāll do anything, they donāt care about trying to follow the rules, thereās no etiquette whatsoever anymore.ā
Tyrone goes on to mention, how he cannot believe what heās lived through stating, āYeah, this is all true, real firsthand experience, not just something that I heard about from somebody else, the third person, this and that. So, yeah, and thatās why when I read back thru it, Iām like, I donāt even believe it.ā
And in conclusion, Iāll leave you with this quote that gives evidence to the reason Tyrone has survived lived experiences beyond belief and has been able to rise above overwhelming circumstances to come on this podcast and talk to us today. Thanks, Tyrone for your honest, painful, inspiring glimpse of another side of the industry that many donāt understand.
āI donāt believe in arguments because all it does is both parties off. But I do believe in communication and discussion. Yeah, we can agree to disagree, but lets at least listen over each other sides and not try to make either of us feel like weāre inferior to the other. Because when that starts to occur, then people close down and nothingās heard whatsoever. Theyāre just thinking about what theyāre gonna sayā. Truth.
From LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyrone-sky-williams-5b4b45195/
āIām a second-generation grower with 20 years in indoor hydroponic space design and quality control. Specializing in licensed farm direct THC products of the highest quality. The products personally rigorously tested and vetted from only the best quality. I have designed products that have proven positive results that I will be introducing to the market if anyone is interested in an investment opportunity.ā