In his sophomore year of high school, Tom was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, an autoimmune condition that left him unable to eat, gain weight, or maintain general health. His condition worsened to the point that he became severely malnourished, had to drop out of school, and quit all sports. Over time, he discovered that cannabis use helped him manage his symptoms, and by age 21 he had achieved a significant remission.
From age 15 onward, Tom had also been involved in underground cannabis operations as a “legacy operator.” At 21, he was implicated—via controlled buys conducted by a close friend—and became one of the last major busts by Washington’s Wesnet task force before its dissolution. His assets were seized, and he was sentenced to six months of house arrest and heavy fines. This setback forced him into a period of deep reflection, during which he began educating himself in business and seeking more legitimate financial paths forward.
Parallel to his cannabis trajectory, Tom embraced music promotion and management as a way to monetize his talents legally. Over the years, he worked with artists like Coolio, Treach, Rappin’ 4 Tay, Too Short, and many others. He leveraged his network to create artist-branded cannabis strains, produced and toured, and grew a reputation for fusing branding, music, and cannabis culture.
Tom’s childhood friend Nater—with whom he had played multiple sports during their youth—had built himself into a successful entrepreneur (including time at Amazon). When cannabis became legal in Washington, Nater invested his life savings into Tom’s dream and they co-founded Hitz Cannabis. Together, they purchased Rainier Organics in Yelm, WA in 2018, and merged Tom’s creative and cannabis experience with Nater’s business acumen to build the brand as it exists today.