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SF Cannabis Hero Survives Shooting, Kicks Death’s Ass Yet Again

Updated: Feb 07, 2025 09:43
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Martin Olive has kicked death’s ass twice now. Photo from Martin’s Facebook page.

Anyone who has ever had any involvement in the cannabis industry in the Bay Area knows and loves Martin Olive. Not only is he a sweetheart of a man who is always available with a hug and a smile, he’s also someone who went viral for cleverly sticking up for a woman being catcalled. And on top of all of that, Martin Olive is a Bay Area weed legend.

While Vapor Room, the dispensary he owns, is currently on 9th Street in San Francisco’s SoMa neighborhood, it originally opened in 2004 during the Medical Marijuana days in the Lower Haight. Vapor Room was the very first dispensary that had a smoker’s lounge in San Francisco and is currently the oldest dispensary in operation in The City.

Tragically, Martin was shot in front of the current Vapor Room location around 5pm on Monday. The very very very good news is that he is in stable condition and is awake and talking. A video was posted in an Instagram group that I’m part of that includes many of Martin’s dear friends and admirers. In the video Martin gives a thumbs up and says, “Hey guys, thanks for the concern. Looks like I survived yet another near death experience. We’ll see what happens. Love you all very much.”

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I won’t be posting the video because it’s meant for his personal friends, but I can say that considering everything, he appears to be in good condition.

The reference to “another near death experience” is based on the fact that Martin had a serous brain aneurysm in 2012 which he survived after undergoing brain surgery. For such a mild mannered, laidback guy, he is a hell of a fighter. Martin Olive: 2. Death: 0.

You can donate to help Martin’s recovery here.

There’s a GoFundMe set up by his friend Jason Tyler Grace to help Martin during his long road to recovery. Martin is so beloved by the community that it surpassed the initial goal of $50,000 and is now on track to hit $75,000. Please help that happen right here.

At this point it’s not known if the shooting was random or if it was targeted. What is known is that the after the shooting, the suspect barricaded himself in a nearby building for four hours until he was ultimately killed in a shootout with the police. You can read more about that here.

Most importantly, Martin’s friends, family, and the Bay Area community are just happy he is alive and that he survived such a horrific experience.

We love you Martin! Please get well soon.

Donate to the GoFundMe right here.

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Broke-Ass Stuart - Editor In Cheap

Broke-Ass Stuart - Editor In Cheap

Stuart Schuffman, aka Broke-Ass Stuart, is a travel writer, poet, TV host, activist, and general shit-stirrer. His website BrokeAssStuart.com is one of the most influential arts & culture sites in the San Francisco Bay Area and his freelance writing has been featured in Lonely Planet, Conde Nast Traveler, The Bold Italic, Geek.com and too many other outlets to remember. His weekly column, Broke-Ass City, appears every other Thursday in the San Francisco Examiner. Stuart’s writing has been translated into four languages. In 2011 Stuart created and hosted the travel show Young, Broke, and Beautiful on IFC and in 2015 he ran for Mayor of San Francisco and got nearly 20k votes.

He's been called "an Underground legend": SF Chronicle, "an SF cult hero":SF Bay Guardian, and "the chief of cheap": Time Out New York.