To be one of the greats in any profession, it takes a lot of work and a solid mindset to make things happen, no matter the circumstances. For 25-year-old Tavin Carew, a photo of LeBron James training with a tire around himself that he used as his screen saver inspired him to put his head down and grind at whatever he puts his mind to while staying true to his own journey of educating anyone he can in the Cannabis industry.
“You can be great at what you do and also be an active member of this community and really build other people up and be a face for people,” Tavin said. “That’s what I try to relate to Cannabis.”
Born and raised in Edgewater, growing up near the water gave Tavin and his friends somewhere to go and enjoy their youth. He said a typical day consisted of riding bikes down to the docks with their nets and throwing some turkey necks into the bay in hopes of catching some crabs.
“You know, they say it takes a village to raise a child, and that’s kind of how it was in Edgewater,” he said. “It was just kind of like that Maryland lifestyle when I was growing up in. Being by the bay was one of the best things growing up.”
Tavin said his Cannabis journey started relatively early on when he was in middle school, and the idea of trying it piqued his interest. Once he hit high school, he wanted to focus on his education, so he took a break from smoking until his junior year, he said. After his mom found his bong, he said she was accepting of his Cannabis use and recommended he get his medical card for a safer experience, adding that this conversation eventually helped him find his way into the Cannabis industry.
His Cannabis use in high school was more recreational, but once he got to college, Tavin said he found himself consuming it on a more consistent basis after developing some anxiety from transitioning to college and trying to navigate the real world.
“I was just trying to find something to help me other than just dealing with it. I was smoking a lot trying to figure things out, and it really didn’t slow me down at all,” he said, adding that he maintained a 3.5 GPA while using Cannabis.
After transferring to Salisbury University, Tavin got a job selling insurance in the area, which went hand in hand with his marketing and sales major at the time. After graduation, he stayed on as a salesman for another year until he decided to make the jump into the Cannabis industry in 2023. The decision to switch industries felt scary at first, he said, but it was necessary due to the building anxiety and stress that came with the job, and additionally, complications caused by the COVID-19 pandemic made it harder for him to progress in his career.
“I just needed an escape from it into something that truly meant something to me,” Tavin said, adding that his first Cannabis job was at Gold Leaf in Annapolis. From there, he began talking to anyone and everyone he could to learn the ins and outs of the industry, he said.
Currently working as a brand representative for Curaleaf, he’s tasked with traveling around the state to educate dispensary patrons about different products and Cannabis in general. The educational part of Tavin’s job is something he finds the most passion in, saying his drive to learn carried over from staying on top of his school work and his previous insurance job.
“It’s so cool seeing the different demographics and meeting so many people that actually care and want to know more about it,” he said, adding that he averages 3,000 miles on the road per month. “I get a little nerded out about it.”
Tavin said that he enjoys the literature he receives and the advice he consistently gets from his teammates about the industry. However, he said that the most effective form of learning for him is talking with the grow facility employees and getting hands-on experience with flower. There’s also the bonus of getting a deep dive into a strain’s genetics, another passion of his.
“They’re doing it every day. They’re seeing it come to fruition, and I think that’s a huge part for me because I think a lot of us can learn that way,” he said. “And if you can’t physically see it, it’s a little bit harder to grasp.”
As far as a consumption preference goes, Tavin said he’s a flower guy in his normal day-to-day routine, but he likes to keep his options open and spreads the wealth around between products. Being a fan of strain genetics, he looks at those before deciding on a flower, with his favorite strain being GMO for its savory smell and potent effects.
With new people entering Cannabis jobs every day, Tavin expressed the importance of education not only for the patients but also for the employees to stay up on any trends and general knowledge. With a lot of youth coming into the industry at the same time, he said that they will be the ones who could be the most effective in educating their communities and beyond about Cannabis.
“If they see someone like myself in this position where I’m thriving and I’m doing everything I need to do, they’re going to start noticing and saying, ‘OK, maybe this isn’t what we thought it was,’” Tavin said. “You can enjoy yourself and still be a person that can grind and do what you want to do while enjoying the plant itself.”
