Five Pieces of Wisdom From a Retired 1970s Pot Smuggler and Lifelong Surfer

By the time I met Thai Stick, he had already been retired from pot smuggling for over 40 years — but he was still sharp. His heyday was in the late '60s into the '70s, before the cocaine frenzy really took off, organizing loads of pot from Venezuela and Colombia to supply the never-ending demand in the US.

We actually lived together over two winters on the North Shore. Yep, Thai Stick was a lifelong surfer, with his fair share of stories of scoring empty waves in between missions, alongside all the craziness that came with stuffing boats full of plants in exchange for suitcases of cash.

He doesn't glamorize those days, but he's got stories. Some that will make you laugh, others that will make you cry. His wisdom doesn't just come from his days staying one step ahead of the law. It comes from his years of living as a curious man and a father, and the vast number of books he read (somewhere around 25 to 50 a year for 50-plus years). He has an impressive knowledge of history, the kind that's not taught in classrooms, and a keen sense for what's truly important.

These are the five main pieces of wisdom I picked up from my time living with him.

1. Don't raise your kids with guns

To passionate gun owners, this is a nonstarter. But for someone whose day-to-day operations involved heavily armed associates and adversaries for over a decade, this was the main takeaway. The irony, Thai Stick will tell you, is that the people who clutch onto the idea of being armed for self-defense rarely have any actual need for a weapon. It's a fear-coping mechanism that, more often than not, creates more danger than it solves.

"How many times have you heard of people that have successfully defended themselves because they had a weapon? Zero. Right? Now how many times have you heard of someone getting shot or killed because there was a gun in the picture? More times than you can count. If you live somewhere you don't feel safe, either get the hell out of there, or get a big dog and keep a bat by your bed and in your car. The only gun I ever liked was my Owl Chapman triple-stringer. I got some of the best waves of my life on that thing on the North Shore."

2. Challenge zealous people to recite the Ten Commandments

This was one of the funnier things to hear Thai Stick talk about. Having lived in Florida for most of his life, he regularly came into contact with people who would preach to high heaven about the Bible this, and Jesus that. He'd let them go on, sometimes even encouraging them to see just how far they'd go. Then he'd hit them with one simple question: "Do you know the Ten Commandments?" They'd always say yes. So he'd say, "List them out for me."

"I've probably asked more than five hundred people that," he laughed. "Not one — and I mean, not one — ever got through the whole list. They'd get three or four, at best five, and then get all flustered and make some excuse. If you're going to preach to me, you better know what you're talking about."

3. Don't let on how much you really have and be wary of those who boast

This lesson came early and was reinforced over time. On his first-ever road trip to California, Thai Stick was given the last spot in the car with a few older guys. He felt lucky to be included. What he didn't know was that the others hardly had any money — they were counting on him to front most of the cash. Being 17, he didn't have much. He brought $200 cash and left the rest of his life savings back in Florida. If he needed it, he could call home for a transfer.

"Man, those guys were ready to take me for every cent."

The lesson sharpened as his business grew. "So many guys I dealt with over the years were always bragging and running their mouths, or showing off with flashy cars and jewelry. I'll tell ya — every single one of those guys got caught in the end."

Later in life, when traveling abroad in dodgy places, he'd keep an extra wallet on him at all times. One would have around $100 in small bills so it looked full. The other would hold his real stash, all $100 bills. If things started to go south, he'd volunteer the decoy wallet and other small goods to soothe things over.

"Having lots of money never solved any of my problems — especially when people knew about it. When I finally got out of the business, I was happy to be free of all that. Only take what you need became my motto. The rest is nonsense."

4. Live on the floor. It'll help your surfing and your longevity

When Thai Stick first started traveling to Colombia and Venezuela, he had to spend months at a time building trust with partners in remote areas.

"I was basically living in the jungle amongst humble villagers. They didn't have any furniture, just hammocks and mats. I learned to love sitting on the floor and it's helped me so much to this day. I'm over 70, and some people half my age can't even squat down easily or sit cross-legged for very long."

"All around the world, most people are used to sitting on the ground or squatting for long periods. You see they have better mobility as they age. In America, unless you're an athlete or a yogi, you end up getting fat and can't move around so well. If you look at the best surfers, they can pop up and down without a problem."

Then he gave me a sly wink. "How else do you think I made it out of all those crazy barrels?"

Related: These 3 Easy Exercises Helped Save My Knees

5. We're all crazy. The people who don't admit it are the craziest of all.

"I'm crazy. I know it. That's been the biggest lesson of all. Learning to look back and reflect on why I did so much of that stuff. I was always trying to be cool. In reality, I was being pretty stupid. I was crazy. Once I accepted that, I was able to start making better decisions. I calmed down. I had more patience. I did things because I truly wanted to, not because I thought it would make me look cool."

He paused, then laughed. "I remember telling one of my ex-girlfriends, 'Everybody is crazy.' She said, 'I'm not,' all defensively. So I brought up some of the crazy things she'd done that week. She didn't like that. Needless to say, it didn't last very long after that."

There's more wisdom where that came from — Thai Stick has stories for days, and the ones in this piece are the ones he was willing to put on the record. The rest, like his real name and what's left of his secrets, stay with him.

If you ever find yourself on the North Shore in the off months, looking for someone who's seen more than most and read even more than that, you might cross paths with him. He'll be the one in the corner, on the floor, with a book.

Related: Bob Marley’s Legacy Burns Bright With New Cannabis Collab