Cannabis Pioneer ‘The Soil King’ Praises Texans for Passionate Fight Against Hemp Ban

Patrick King, known professionally as The Soil King, made a name for himself in Northern California’s Emerald Triangle — the largest cannabis-producing region in the United States. He was part of the “215 Movement” in 1996, which legalized medical cannabis in California and paved the way for the nation’s broader legalization movement.

“I was the first micro-license given in the state of California and the first solventless rosin-producing company in California (Rosin Tech Labs),” he said.

Today, King travels the world speaking to audiences and promoting his agricultural products — a feat that landed him in Austin for the first time last October for The Taste of Texas Hemp Cup. During that visit, King said he observed something special about The Lone Star State.

“Texas shows up,” he said.

King has watched the tenacity continue in recent months, as advocates have appeared at the state capitol in droves to testify against bills that would ban all or most consumable hemp products.

“Being a pioneer myself to where cannabis is at today, it’s very, very important to show up in numbers and have the support,” King said. “When it came through in Northern California, nobody wanted to show up and do any activism. And that was a problem because there were just a few of us that would go to do all these events, that would show up at the capitol, that would actually read the bills and try to do our due diligence and report back to the community. When we asked the community to show up and help us, they wouldn’t do it.”

While some would offer monetary support, King recalls the reluctance of the community to take a public stand.

“But then when we didn’t get our way, those same people, all they did was cry and complain,” he said. “And my thing is, ‘Hey man, shut up or show up.’ And Texas shows up! That’s what happens here in Texas.”

On April 13, King returned to Austin for a meet and greet at Brite Ideas Hydroponics. He also appeared on the Texas Hemp Show, where he expressed his interest in expanding relationships in the area.

“If anybody wants to do some collabs, I want to get invested in this community,” he said. “I love you guys, I see what you’re doing, and I support you.”

Those interested in collaborating should email [email protected].

During his time on The Texas Hemp Show, King discussed his passion for living soil and probiotic farming.

“When you’re dealing with probiotic farming, the same soil-born probiotic is the same microbiome as in your body,” he said. “So when you’re growing and get your soils right, you’re producing health to your body, and it’s a reciprocal relationship from earth to soul, and that’s how you get healthy.”

King boasts a “super clean” collection of farming products — including his King Kashi compost and Big Rootz Soil — which can be purchased at thesoilking.com.