BUDZ BUDZ

“As soon as they come in I make them sign up,” said Omar. “I need to see their ID, 21 and over only.” Twenty-five dollars a year grants you entry to the club and Omar said there are now over 100 members. The contract makes clear that the only thing for sale at the club is a product he is marketing called Grower’s Grinds, a coffee grounds-based nutrient for Cannabis plants.

“In practice, the club provides a safe and legal space for Cannabis enthusiasts to connect and engage with like-minded individuals fostering a supportive community,” said Omar. “The neighbors are happy that something’s going on with the shipping container, because it’s been just sitting here empty for years. I’m still midway in construction but summer is here, not waiting for me, so I have to be up and going up – I have to be here every day now.”

During my time with Omar sitting at a picnic bench in front of his club, I saw people drive by shouting cheerful greetings in our direction and one police car cruise by uneventfully – all the while members swung by to hang out.

The Beach Boyz Budz brand name that launched Omar’s magic school bus will be coming back “when the time is right,” said Omar. “Now the timing is just easing back into what we left. People are happy that we’re here, people that followed us for the bus. We have loyal members.”

Omar is on the front lines of Cannabis legalization, pushing the boundaries of the movement like a man on a mission. In a befitting alignment of the stars, his birthday is on April 20. And having been born on 420 only furthers belief in his destiny.

“I’m going to continue to do my part in the Cannabis industry and to get licensed. That’s my ultimate goal,” said Omar. “It’s not easy for us, and when I say ‘US’ – I mean minorities. It’s just how it is, you know? And I’m not going to be pushed away. Politicians want to go up against me, no problem. I’ve been fighting all my life. This is nothing new. Now I’m more of an activist. I feel like that’s what I need to do because there’s other people just like me that need a voice. I want to get my story out.”

And will he ever get another bus? “I would love to have another bus,” said Omar, “but that bus is going to be a promotional tool. It’s not going to be what it was, it’s never going to be what it was and I’m OK with that. I accepted that. I’m in a new chapter.”

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