Ray Stern | Toke of the Town
Chris Martin is a medical-marijuana pioneer. He’s also a biker, ex-con, and father of five — a nice guy with a rough side, lots of tattoos, and a head full of business ideas. He got out of prison in February after serving a two-year sentence on a weapons violation related to a 2012 raid on his first medical-marijuana company, Zonka.
His Zonka chocolate bars and other edibles became popular for a while not long after Arizona voters passed the 2010 medical-marijuana law. But this was before state-authorized dispensaries; Martin sold the infused candy to unauthorized compassion clubs. Police raided the clubs and Martin’s home, finding guns (he says they belonged to his older sons) that he shouldn’t have had in the house because of a past felony conviction.
Now Martin, his family, and friends are back in the medical-marijuana business. And this time, they may have struck gold — or, rather, struck oil. CBD oil. Read Phoenix New Times in-depth article on the new oil boom.