Hustle, Handcuffs & Hash: Doc’s Cannabis Legacy
Doc's journey spans decades, beginning in Cleveland, Ohio, and South Carolina, where he split his formative years. At 15, he built his first grow using streetlight ballasts and Nirvana seeds. By 18, his ambitions were cut short when a six-month sting operation culminated in a DEA and FBI raid, resulting in hard prison time.
Escape & Rebuild
Released in July 2001, Doc relocated to Colorado Springs and took a job at his father’s silicone factory. By 2003, he had secured Fort Collins Cough genetics and was converting apartments into aeroponic grow sites. However, his path intersected with a biker gang’s operations, leading to nine months in captivity as he maintained their cultivation rooms. His escape in a stolen Ford Explorer marked a decisive break, sending him west in search of a new chapter.
San Diego Delivery King & Cowboy Extracts
By 2005, Doc was running North Park Quality Care, a Prop 215 delivery powerhouse processing over 1,000 orders daily and earning top placement on Weedmaps. His next venture, Cowboy Extracts, centered on CO₂ oil production and helped ignite the “F#k BHO” movement. By 2014, it became one of California’s first statewide wax distribution operations.
Mega-Farms & Frozen Fields
In 2013, while San Luis Obispo County thrived with small-scale light-deprivation grows, Doc took a larger approach—securing a 300-acre cultivation deal with former California Lieutenant Governor Abel Maldonado. This facility integrated large-scale drying operations and industrial fish-stick conveyors to flash-freeze up to 5,000 pounds daily, laying the groundwork for the coming live resin wave.
The Donald Keydicks Era
From these frozen harvests came premium live resin sauce, branded under the irreverent “Donald Keydicks” label. Doc resisted investor pushes for flashy packaging over quality, insisting that exceptional flower would outperform gimmicks. The brand evolved into Donald Keydicks Farms, with jars selling for $20 at seshes and establishing one of California’s first statewide live resin distribution networks.
Social Equity Spark
By 2014, Doc was advocating for cannabis licensing reform. He worked with NAACP President Alice Huffman to create California’s first social equity program, ensuring licensing opportunities for Black communities and individuals impacted by prohibition. His collaboration with Mr. Donnie Anderson in the program’s inaugural year, and subsequent work with Jamal Weathers through Governor Jerry Brown’s office, inspired similar equity initiatives nationwide.
Mentorship & Policy Impact
As a founding member of the California Minority Alliance, Doc mentored equity applicants and fostered relationships between grassroots activists and policymakers, solidifying his influence in cannabis justice reform.
Warrior Work & Personal Mission
The mission turned personal in 2015 when Doc’s brother returned from his fifth Delta Force tour battling severe PTSD. In search of healing, Doc connected with Kevin Richardson of the Meds4Vets program in San Jose. Over three years, he donated hundreds of pounds of flower and nearly 100 pounds of concentrates to veterans, helping establish Wounded Warrior Project chapters nationwide.
Veteran Advocacy in Action
Doc funded a documentary highlighting veteran suicide, chronicling a cross-country journey that culminated in a Veterans Day protest where participants dumped 10,000 empty VA pill bottles on the White House lawn. The demonstration was both a rejection of pharmaceutical dependency and a call for cannabis access.
The Oni Era Begins
In 2019, Doc partnered with Oni Seed Co’s Nick and Patrick, launching large-scale seed pops focused on commercial viability and high-performance phenotypes. While Doc targeted market adaptability, Nick and Patrick honed in on flavor and hash returns, with Trop Cookies phenos becoming dominant on hash menus and inspiring the tattoo-for-seeds movement.
Corporate Craft & Hash Legacy
In 2022, Doc sold Oni to Praetorian Global—the parent company of Binske—and assumed the role of Global Director of Cultivation. While Binske had no legacy roots, Doc respected their cultural approach. Patrick continued the breeding legacy, while Ryan Kowalewski engineered a patented vibration-only, ice-free hash extraction system, fulfilling Doc’s processing vision.
Binske’s Oni-Powered Rise
Since acquiring Oni, Binske has expanded to nine states, introduced exclusive flower and solventless SKUs, doubled premium sales in California, and solidified its reputation as a genetics-driven, multi-state cannabis leader.
From Hustler to Architect
Fwithdoc transformed hard-learned lessons from prison, biker territories, and DEA crackdowns into a scalable, billion-seed blueprint. His philosophy remains unchanged: avoid gimmicks, focus on fire, and let the work speak louder than the clout.
YOUTUBE VIDEO
— nugg notes
sources:
“First Smoke of the Day Podcast, Ep. 56.” First Smoke of the Day, 2 May 2023, 2 hr. 40 min. Interview with Doc.
“Fort Collins Cough Strain Information.” Leafly, www.leafly.com/strains/fort-collins-cough. Accessed 13 July 2025.
“FC Vaporizer Forum.” FC Vaporizer Review Forum, 2014, fuckcombustion.com. Accessed 13 July 2025.
“@donaldkeydicksfarms Analytics Snapshot.” Instagram, www.instagram.com/donaldkeydicksfarms. Accessed 13 July 2025.
“History of Live Resin: Kind Bill’s Innovation.” Westword, 15 Sept. 2018, www.westword.com. Accessed 13 July 2025.
“Praetorian Global Acquires Oni Seed Co.” PR Newswire, 4 Apr. 2022, www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/praetorian-global-acquires-oni-seed-co-301517034.html.
Hoffman, Bryce. “Oakland’s Cannabis Equity Mandate: A 1-to-1 Licensing Framework.” CNN Money, 18 July 2016, money.cnn.com.
@fwithdoc instagram. july 11th 2025.
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