High Times

High Times is an American print and digital magazine founded in 1974 by Thomas King Forçade, a marijuana smuggler and political activist, that focuses on cannabis cultivation, consumption, legalization advocacy, and associated countercultural elements.^[1][2] Initially conceived as a satirical one-off publication parodying mainstream magazines like Playboy but centered on marijuana, High Times quickly evolved into a monthly periodical that provided practical guides for home growing, interviews with underground figures, and critiques of drug prohibition policies.^[1][2] The magazine achieved commercial success in the 1970s, reaching peak circulation figures exceeding 500,000 copies per issue, by capitalizing on the era's burgeoning interest in psychedelics and illicit substances amid shifting social attitudes.^[3] It distinguished itself through features like seed bank directories and legal defense resources for drug offenders, positioning itself as a resource for both recreational users and prohibition resisters.^[4] Under Forçade's leadership until his suicide in 1978, High Times embodied an anti-establishment ethos, funding activism via profits from smuggling and publishing exposés on law enforcement practices.^[2][1] Subsequent decades saw expansions into events like the Cannabis Cup, an annual competition for marijuana strains, and multimedia ventures, though the publication faced financial instability, ownership disputes, and criticisms of commercialization as legalization progressed.^[5][4] By the 2020s, amid broader cannabis industry growth, High Times underwent a hiatus in print before relaunching in 2025 to reclaim its roots in counterculture journalism.^[6]

Origins and Founding Principles

Establishment by Tom Forçade

Thomas King Forçade, born Gary Goodson in 1945, was an underground journalist, political activist, and marijuana smuggler who led the Underground Press Syndicate, a coalition of alternative newspapers opposing government censorship during the counterculture era.^[2] In 1974, Forçade founded High Times magazine in New York City to promote cannabis culture and advocate for legalization, drawing inspiration from Playboy by substituting marijuana plants and drug-related content for sexual imagery as a satirical challenge to mainstream publications.^[2][7] The inaugural issue appeared in summer 1974 under Trans-High Corporation, with a foil cover depicting a model consuming a psychedelic mushroom and content focused on marijuana cultivation tips, interviews with drug experts, and counterculture commentary, targeting enthusiasts in an era of strict prohibition.^[2][8] Initial operations involved a small editorial team and relied on Forçade's profits from smuggling operations for funding, amid challenges securing distribution and advertising due to the taboo subject matter.^[2][5] Forçade's leadership ended abruptly with his suicide by gunshot on November 17, 1978, at age 33, attributed to accumulating personal strains and legal entanglements from his activist and smuggling activities, though he had positioned High Times as a burgeoning voice for cannabis reform.^[2][9]

Initial Advocacy for Cannabis Legalization

High Times, launched in 1974 by Tom Forçade, positioned cannabis consumption as a victimless personal liberty deserving protection from state interference, framing prohibition as an unjust extension of government authority that inflicted greater societal damage than the substance itself.^[10][11] The magazine's inaugural issues critiqued emerging federal anti-drug initiatives, such as the 1970 Controlled Substances Act, by highlighting how enforcement disproportionately harmed individuals through arrests and black-market violence without demonstrably curbing use, drawing on data from the era's limited studies showing marijuana's low toxicity relative to alcohol or tobacco.^[11] This stance rooted in Forçade's prior activism, including his 1972 organization of the People's Pot Party in Miami, where marijuana was openly distributed to protest criminalization, underscored a commitment to individual autonomy over collective paternalism.^[10] Early editions extensively covered the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), founded in 1970, providing free advertising space and featuring its leaders to amplify calls for decriminalization based on evidence that criminal penalties exacerbated rather than mitigated public health risks.^[10] High Times reported on NORML-coordinated events, such as lobbying efforts following the 1972 Shafer Commission report, which recommended against harsh penalties due to insufficient evidence of marijuana's gateway effects or widespread harm, arguing instead that policy-driven enforcement created underground economies prone to contamination and violence.^[10] Forçade personally funneled funds to NORML, including a $10,000 cash donation in the mid-1970s, enabling the group to challenge prohibition through litigation and public campaigns that prioritized empirical assessments of user outcomes over moralistic bans.^[10] The magazine also detailed smuggling methods as acts of civil disobedience against flawed laws, emphasizing practical resistance while underscoring prohibition's causal role in producing adulterated products, as exemplified by its 1970s exposés on U.S.-funded paraquat spraying in Mexican fields, which poisoned imported cannabis and prompted a 1978 Senate investigation into government-induced health risks.^[11][12] Unlike contemporaneous left-leaning critiques that increasingly invoked racial disparities or systemic victimhood, High Times advocated from a foundation of personal accountability, asserting that responsible adult use posed no inherent threat warranting state coercion and that overreach eroded broader civil liberties.^[11] This approach aligned with Forçade's underground press ethos, rejecting narratives of inherent oppression in favor of first-hand accounts demonstrating cannabis's relative safety when unregulated by prohibition's distortions.^[10]

Publication Trajectory

Early Growth and Counterculture Role

High Times rapidly expanded following its inaugural issue in July 1974, which sold out its initial print run of 10,000 copies within weeks.^[1] By the late 1970s, audited circulation had climbed to approximately 500,000 copies per issue, placing it on par with major publications like Rolling Stone.^[13] This growth was propelled by distinctive content, including visually striking centerfolds that blended erotic imagery with cannabis themes, practical grow guides detailing cultivation techniques for indoor and outdoor setups, and high-profile celebrity interviews such as the 1976 discussion with Bob Marley.^[14][15] These elements appealed to an audience seeking both entertainment and actionable knowledge amid ongoing federal prohibitions under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970. The magazine embedded itself within the lingering hippie counterculture of the 1970s, serving as a printed hub for enthusiasts who rejected mainstream norms and experimented with altered states.^[1] It documented the evolution of underground networks, from small-scale home grows to rudimentary distribution methods, providing step-by-step advice on seed propagation, lighting, and yield optimization that readers adapted in defiance of law enforcement scrutiny.^[16] As the decade progressed into the 1980s, High Times extended its reach into adjacent scenes, including punk subcultures where anti-authoritarian attitudes aligned with its advocacy for personal liberty over state control, though its core remained rooted in cannabis-focused camaraderie rather than broader musical rebellion.^[3] Subscriber growth was bolstered by direct-mail campaigns and reader contributions, fostering a sense of shared defiance that turned the publication into a de facto newsletter for dispersed communities navigating Nixon-era and subsequent crackdowns.^[13] High Times played a pivotal role in building a resilient countercultural community by aggregating tips, strain reviews, and success stories from anonymous cultivators, which helped standardize practices like hydroponics and cloning in hidden operations across the U.S.^[17] This documentation occurred against the backdrop of intensified federal efforts, including DEA raids and asset forfeitures, yet the magazine's emphasis on ingenuity—such as stealth growing in closets or attics—empowered readers to sustain supply chains.^[16] However, contemporaries criticized it for glamorizing high-risk activities, such as large-scale personal cultivation prone to detection and legal penalties, often without balanced discussion of potential health detriments like respiratory issues from smoking or dependency risks.^[18] Such portrayals prioritized aspirational narratives over cautionary evidence, arguably incentivizing unsafe experimentation in an era when empirical data on long-term effects was emerging but routinely downplayed in pro-legalization circles.^[19] ![High Times first issue cover from 1974][float-right]

Shift to Mainstream and Hager Leadership

Steven Hager joined High Times in 1987 and ascended to editor-in-chief, steering the magazine toward a more focused emphasis on cannabis culture and away from broader drug coverage that had previously diluted its identity.^[20] This refocusing helped rehabilitate the publication's reputation after a controversial 1980s detour into cocaine features, positioning it as a dedicated advocate for marijuana legalization and cultivation expertise.^[21] A cornerstone of Hager's strategy was the launch of the High Times Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam in 1988, an invite-only competition that invited judges to evaluate submitted cannabis strains for potency, aroma, and effect, thereby elevating the magazine's role as an arbiter of quality in the nascent global cannabis market.^[22] The event's success underscored Hager's vision of transforming High Times from a fringe periodical into a cultural institution, fostering community among growers and enthusiasts while generating ancillary revenue through sponsorships and attendance.^[23] Hager's era also involved initial diversification into merchandise—such as apparel and accessories cataloged as early as 1996—and companion books on cannabis topics, which facilitated entry into mainstream retail channels like bookstores, broadening accessibility beyond head shops and newsstands.^[24] These commercial expansions, alongside a renewed push for political activism like hemp legalization rallies, reflected a pragmatic balance between ideological purity and financial viability, though they sparked internal debates over whether advertising dependencies from seed banks and grow suppliers began eroding editorial autonomy in favor of market-driven content.^[11][4]

Financial Crises and Legal Conflicts

In the late 2010s, High Times encountered significant financial strain as it pursued aggressive expansion amid the burgeoning legal cannabis sector, leading to operating losses driven by rising expenses and inconsistent revenue streams. A 2018 SEC filing disclosed a modest drop in overall sales, a substantial decline in gross profit, and sharply elevated operating costs, culminating in reported operating losses that highlighted underlying mismanagement and overreliance on volatile industry growth projections.^[25] These pressures were compounded by shifts in advertising dynamics following California's Proposition 215 in 1996, which legalized medical marijuana and initially boosted interest but later contributed to revenue instability as black-market suppliers competed with emerging legal operations, eroding predictable ad income from cultivation-focused advertisers.^[26] Legal conflicts intensified scrutiny on executive conduct, particularly allegations of securities fraud tied to promotional activities. In October 2023, High Times' parent company, Hightimes Holding Corp., and its board chair settled U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charges for over $600,000, admitting to failures in disclosing compensation for stock promotions that misled investors.^[27] Former chairman Adam Levin, who acquired control in 2017, faced federal charges in late 2024 for orchestrating a conspiracy to tout High Times securities without revealing payments, defrauding investors of approximately $20 million; Levin agreed to plead guilty in January 2025.^{[28] [29]} Investor lawsuits further exposed mismanagement in business ventures, including failed expansions into cultivation-related technologies and acquisitions that underperformed against black-market competition. A 2024 class-action suit by over 40 investors accused High Times of fraudulently mishandling funds through inadequate oversight of custodians like Prime Trust, leading to losses from unfulfilled investment promises in cannabis infrastructure.^[30] Similarly, a prior dispute with Southland Publishing over the 2019 acquisition of Culture magazine resulted in litigation alleging breach and non-payment, underscoring causal links between overambitious diversification and fiscal shortfalls.^[4] These episodes reflected broader patterns of monetary shortfalls, where empirical overextension into high-risk sectors without robust risk assessment amplified vulnerabilities to market fluctuations and regulatory hurdles.^[5]

Later Expansions and Declines

In the 2010s, High Times pursued digital expansion alongside its print operations, leveraging the growing online cannabis discourse to broaden its audience. The magazine's website, hightimes.com, had established a significant digital footprint by the mid-decade, attracting over 4 million monthly unique users by 2018, with a demographic skew toward millennials. This growth coincided with the launch of High Times TV in August 2018, available as an app on iOS, Android, Roku, and Apple TV, extending content into video production and streaming.^[31][32] Parallel to digital efforts, High Times extended its Cannabis Cup events to the United States following state-level reforms, marking a shift from its Amsterdam origins. The inaugural U.S. edition occurred in San Francisco on June 19–20, 2010, as the High Times Medical Cannabis Cup, capitalizing on California's medical marijuana framework. Subsequent events proliferated across legalizing states, including Northern and Southern California, Michigan, Washington, Oregon, New Mexico, and Alaska by the late 2010s, adapting the competition to regional markets with judging by consumers and experts.^[22][33][34] Despite these initiatives, circulation stagnated and declined amid broader industry shifts, dropping from a historical peak of 500,000 copies in 1978 to approximately 236,000 by the late 2010s. The proliferation of free online cannabis information eroded demand for paid print subscriptions, while market saturation post-legalization diluted the magazine's niche appeal.^[11] State-level legalization commoditized cannabis, enabling corporate entrants with substantial capital to dominate branding and distribution, which overshadowed High Times' counterculture roots. Persistent federal prohibition constrained financing and interstate commerce, preventing the magazine from fully capitalizing on unified national markets and exacerbating vulnerabilities to competitive pressures from well-funded rivals. This dynamic rendered High Times emblematic of cannabis corporatization's challenges, as its advocacy-era relevance waned against commodified, mainstream alternatives.^[11][35]

Relocation, Bankruptcy, and 2025 Acquisition

In January 2017, High Times relocated its headquarters from New York City to Los Angeles to align with California's emerging status as the epicenter of the cannabis industry.^[36] The move involved transferring operations from a Midtown Manhattan office housing about 30 staffers to a new facility near The Grove shopping district.^[36] Company executives, including chief revenue officer Matt Stang, emphasized that New York had become less relevant as cannabis business activity concentrated westward.^[37] Post-relocation, High Times pursued retail expansion by opening cannabis dispensaries across California, capitalizing on state legalization.^[38] However, these outlets encountered operational challenges, culminating in abrupt closures in early 2024 amid unpaid taxes, rent, health insurance premiums, and employee wages.^[39] The Oakland store shuttered months earlier, while at least three additional locations closed permanently by March 2024, leaving some staff to seize inventory in lieu of back pay.^[40] High Times Holding Corp. entered court-supervised receivership in April 2024 following its failure to repay a $28.8 million loan to lender ExWorks Capital.^[41] The process, overseen by a receiver appointed to liquidate assets, triggered a fire sale to settle debts, including intellectual property, the Cannabis Cup events, and remaining physical holdings like the West Hollywood store.^[42] ExWorks itself faced parallel financial distress, complicating the proceedings.^[43] On June 17, 2025, Josh Kesselman, founder of RAW Rolling Papers, completed a $3.5 million all-cash acquisition of High Times' assets, in partnership with former co-owner Matt Stang.^{[44] [45]} The deal encompasses the magazine's brand, digital properties, and Cannabis Cup trademarks, with Kesselman outlining intentions to produce limited print runs, restore the website, and reinstate Cannabis Cup competitions featuring independent judging panels from 2025 onward.^[46]

Core Content Elements

Columns and Recurring Features

High Times' recurring columns and features have centered on practical cultivation instruction, policy monitoring, and irreverent commentary, often blending educational intent with advocacy for reduced prohibitions. These elements aimed to equip readers with actionable knowledge while critiquing enforcement regimes, though their emphasis on techniques over regulatory compliance drew scrutiny for potentially overlooking safety variables in clandestine operations. The "Ask Ed" column, penned by cultivation authority Ed Rosenthal for approximately 25 years starting in the 1980s, delivered technical guidance on topics including hydroponic setups, nutrient management, and pest control for cannabis plants, drawing from Rosenthal's expertise as a co-founder of the magazine and author of seminal grow manuals.^{[47] [48]} This feature demystified propagation methods suppressed by federal bans, enabling hobbyists to achieve higher yields and potency through innovations like indoor lighting and cloning, which Rosenthal detailed in response to reader queries.^[49] Complementary "Grow" articles extended this with strain-specific reviews—evaluating traits like THC content and terpene profiles—and tutorials on advanced systems such as aeroponics, fostering a body of shared expertise that predated commercial seed banks.^{[50] [51]} Policy-oriented segments, often aggregated under news or activism rubrics, chronicled jurisdictional reforms, such as California's Proposition 215 in 1996 legalizing medical use and subsequent recreational ballot measures, alongside federal rescheduling debates.^{[52] [53]} These updates highlighted causal links between state-level decriminalization and reduced arrests—for instance, noting a 90% drop in cannabis-related incarcerations in legalized jurisdictions by 2020—while urging sustained federal repeal to address interstate commerce barriers.^[54] "Highwitness News," a staple since the magazine's early issues, employed satire to expose drug war inefficiencies, such as disproportionate sentencing for minor possession or failed eradication campaigns yielding negligible supply reductions, as in the U.S. government's Operation Green Sweep which seized under 1% of estimated domestic output in the 1980s.^{[55] [56]} This column juxtaposed official narratives with empirical absurdities, like multimillion-dollar asset forfeitures from low-level growers, underscoring prohibition's economic distortions over public health gains. While these columns advanced factual dissemination—evident in the proliferation of informed home cultivators post-1974, correlating with a rise from negligible to millions of U.S. indoor operations by the 1990s—they faced rebuke for prioritizing yield optimization absent consistent caveats on hazards like pesticide residues or mold in non-sterile environments, risks amplified in pre-legal markets lacking lab testing.^{[57] [58]} Public health analyses indicate that unregulated cultivation correlates with elevated heavy metal contamination, such as lead levels exceeding EPA thresholds in some samples, attributing this to ad-hoc practices without standardized safeguards.^[57] Proponents counter that such guidance filled voids left by punitive policies, prioritizing harm reduction through quality control over abstinence mandates.^[59]

Comics and Visual Satire

High Times incorporated comics and visual satire as a staple of its countercultural ethos, drawing from underground comix traditions to depict exaggerated stoner lifestyles and mock drug prohibition enforcement. Early issues showcased works by Robert Crumb, whose irreverent illustrations often lampooned authority figures and bourgeois hypocrisy through grotesque, hallucinatory vignettes intertwined with cannabis themes; for instance, the February 1977 issue (No. 27) featured an extensive interview with Crumb alongside discussions of his satirical style.^[60][61] Gilbert Shelton's The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, portraying a trio of perpetually high, scheming archetypes navigating absurd predicaments, exemplified prohibition parodies by ridiculing law enforcement ineptitude and societal prudery; strips appeared recurrently, including in the July 1978 issue (No. 35), where the characters reminisced about comic-buying escapades amid stoner reveries.^[62] These contributions amplified critiques of Nixon-era policies, using visual hyperbole to underscore the futility of anti-cannabis crusades. Over time, the magazine's comics shifted from the unfiltered, anarchic edge of 1970s underground aesthetics—rooted in raw defiance against federal overreach—to more subdued, lifestyle-oriented humor by the 2000s, aligning with High Times' pivot toward commercialization and legalization advocacy.^[3] This evolution reflected broader cannabis culture maturation, yet retained satirical jabs at persistent regulatory absurdities. The serialized stoner tropes in these visuals verifiably shaped cannabis iconography, embedding slacker-rebel imagery into popular motifs that symbolized resistance and hedonistic escape, as seen in enduring references to Freak Brothers-style characters across subsequent media.^[63] Detractors, including cultural commentators on underground comix, have contended that such depictions glamorized passivity and evaded accountability for substance-driven dysfunction, potentially reinforcing stereotypes of irresponsibility under the guise of humor.^[64]

Cannabis Cup Competitions

The High Times Cannabis Cup competitions were established in 1988 in Amsterdam by High Times editor Steven Hager as an annual event to recognize superior cannabis strains and products through structured judging. Initially focused on varieties from Dutch coffeeshops and seed companies, the format involved panels of judges conducting blind evaluations of submitted entries, culminating in awards for categories such as best indica, sativa, and hashish. The event combined product competitions with cultural elements like seminars and concerts, attracting growers, breeders, and enthusiasts from around the world.^[65][66] Judging occurs via blind taste tests where entries are anonymized to prevent bias, with panels typically comprising 28-35 experts including industry professionals, connoisseurs, and sometimes consumers. Criteria emphasize sensory and experiential qualities, scored on a 1-5 scale across factors like visual appearance and feel, aroma, taste, burnability, and psychoactive effects, with the qualitative assessment weighted heavily—around 75% of the total score in some iterations. Winners are determined by aggregated scores, awarding the top three per category and the overall champion the Cannabis Cup trophy; during the COVID-19 period from 2019 to 2023, the process shifted to remote, crowdsourced judging with participants receiving kits containing up to 228 samples per category for evaluation.^[65][67][68] The competitions expanded to the United States following state-level legalization, with the inaugural U.S. edition in 2010 and subsequent events in markets like Northern and Southern California, Colorado, Michigan, Oregon, Arizona, and Massachusetts. This growth reflected increasing legal production, enabling licensed cultivators and brands to submit regulated products for competition, often with hundreds of entries across categories like flower, concentrates, edibles, and pre-rolls. Winner trends show a predominance of hybrid strains in recent years, alongside innovations in solventless extracts and high-potency edibles, as legal markets prioritized potency, terpene profiles, and consumer-preferred effects over traditional indicas or sativas.^[66][69][70] While the blind format aims for objectivity, some industry commentary has questioned potential sponsor influence in event logistics and promotion, though no verified instances of judging tampering have been documented. In early iterations, entries from unregulated sources raised implicit health concerns due to possible contaminants, but U.S. expansions require licensed, state-tested products compliant with safety standards, mitigating such risks through mandatory lab verification for pesticides, heavy metals, and microbes prior to submission.^[71][72]

Personnel and Contributors

Key Editors and Staff

Thomas King Forçade, born Gary Goodson, founded High Times in 1974 as a one-time parody of Playboy magazine, infusing it with radical counterculture ethos and advocacy for cannabis legalization amid his background as a marijuana smuggler and political activist.^[56][1] His leadership was marked by chaotic intensity, including explosive editorial decisions and a commitment to underground authenticity, which sustained the publication's early irreverent tone through personal oversight until his suicide in 1978.^[56][3] Steven Hager assumed the role of editor-in-chief in 1988, steering High Times toward commercialization by emphasizing cannabis culture as a spiritual and political movement, including the launch of events like the Cannabis Cup and advocacy for hemp legalization.^[11][23] His tenure, spanning until 2003 with a return from 2006 to around 2013, correlated with expanded coverage of cultivation techniques and cultural satire, though critics noted a shift from raw counterculture to more structured, market-oriented content that prioritized sustainability over unfiltered provocation.^[11][23] Hager's approach achieved longevity for the magazine amid evolving drug policy landscapes but drew internal complaints of uneven compensation favoring leadership.^[11] Dan Skye served as executive editor before becoming editor-in-chief from 2014 to 2020, maintaining focus on cultivation expertise and event-driven content while navigating transitions in print frequency.^[3] His philosophy emphasized practical cannabis journalism, linking editorial choices to reader interests in strains and techniques, yet coincided with staff reductions and favoritism allegations in hiring that prioritized loyalty over diverse perspectives.^[3] In 2025, following acquisition, Javier Hasse was appointed editor-in-chief, aiming to revive foundational counterculture roots through renewed emphasis on independent journalism.^[73]

Notable Writers and Influencers

Ed Rosenthal, known as the "Guru of Ganja," has been a prominent external contributor to High Times since the late 1970s, specializing in cannabis cultivation techniques. He co-authored The Marijuana Grower's Guide with Mel Frank in 1977, which provided detailed, illustrated instructions on home growing and became a foundational text for enthusiasts, influencing underground horticulture practices despite legal risks at the time.^[49][51] Rosenthal's columns and features emphasized practical, science-based methods, helping to demystify cultivation for readers and contributing to the magazine's reputation as a technical resource amid prohibition.^[2] Abbie Hoffman, a key figure in the 1960s counterculture and Yippie movement, collaborated on early High Times content, bringing political activism and satirical edge to its pages. As a contributor alongside figures like Timothy Leary and Charles Bukowski, Hoffman infused articles with anti-establishment critiques of drug laws, aligning the magazine with broader youth rebellion narratives in its inaugural years starting 1974.^[74] His involvement helped position High Times as a platform for radical voices challenging federal narcotics policies through humor and provocation.^[75] Celebrity influencers like Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong shaped High Times' cultural voice through recurring interviews and cover features that normalized cannabis humor in mainstream entertainment. The duo appeared on eight covers—more than any other celebrities—starting with early issues that highlighted their stoner comedy films, which grossed over $100 million collectively by the 1980s and amplified public association of marijuana with lighthearted rebellion.^[76][77] Later, Snoop Dogg contributed as a modern influencer via profiles and awards like Stoner of the Year in 2002, linking rap music's prominence—where cannabis references appeared in over 700 songs from 1996 to 2012—to the magazine's advocacy, thereby influencing youth perceptions during legalization debates.^[3][78] These external celebrity pieces provided glamour and accessibility, contrasting the magazine's technical content and aiding its role in shifting cultural attitudes without internal staff oversight.^[79]

Extended Media and Business Operations

Book Publishing Arm

High Times initiated its book publishing operations through imprints such as High Times Books and High Times Press, beginning in the late 1970s with titles that extended the magazine's focus on cannabis cultivation, drug lore, and countercultural history.^[80][81] These publications often drew directly from magazine content, including reader-submitted reports and editorial expertise, to produce practical guides amid ongoing prohibition.^[82] Notable releases include grow guides like High Times Cultivation Tips: Twenty Years and Still Growing (1998) by Steven Hager, which aggregated two decades of cultivation stories, techniques, and photographs originally featured in the magazine, emphasizing indoor and hydroponic methods popular among clandestine growers.^[82][83] Later titles, such as Cannabis: A Beginner's Guide to Growing Marijuana (2018) by High Times editor Danny Danko, offered streamlined instructions for novices, covering seed selection, lighting, and harvesting in an illustrated format accessible to non-experts.^[84] The catalog also encompassed humorous anthologies like World's Funniest Pot Jokes: The High Times Classics Volume 1 and culinary works such as The Official High Times Cannabis Cookbook (2012), compiling recipes infused with cannabis.^[85][86] While these books provided archival value by documenting pre-legalization practices and user experiences otherwise scattered or suppressed, critics have noted that early guides often propagated unverified techniques—such as overstated yields from rudimentary setups—rooted in anecdotal evidence rather than controlled empirical testing, potentially misleading readers on reliable outcomes.^[82] High Times publications tied into broader advocacy, frequently referencing or excerpting independent works like Jack Herer's The Emperor Wears No Clothes (1985), which argued for hemp's historical industrial uses, though High Times did not publish it directly.^[87] Market reception has been niche, sustaining sales through enthusiast communities, with no comprehensive public data on peaks during 1990s decriminalization efforts, but titles like Hager's compilation reflect sustained demand for practical, prohibition-era knowledge.^[85]

Merchandise, Events, and Digital Ventures

High Times expanded into merchandise through an online shop offering branded apparel such as T-shirts, hoodies, hats, and accessories like rolling trays, generating revenue from direct sales and licensing deals with partners including Pulsar and Red Eye for co-branded products.^[88][89][90] Physical retail ventures included branded dispensaries in California, with locations in Oakland, Redding, and others opening to capitalize on legalization but facing closures starting in early 2024 due to license suspensions, market oversaturation, and unpaid obligations amid the company's financial distress.^[40][91][41] These stores, intended as experiential hubs for cannabis culture, shuttered at least three sites by March 2024, highlighting vulnerabilities in retail expansion reliant on hype-driven foot traffic rather than sustainable demand.^[40][42] Beyond the Cannabis Cup, High Times organized supplementary events such as the Harvest Cup in Southern California and international gatherings in Amsterdam and Jamaica, featuring vendor expos, seminars, and product sampling to engage global audiences and boost brand visibility.^[92] These initiatives provided short-term revenue spikes through ticket sales and sponsorships—for instance, events contributed $9.68 million in the first nine months of 2017—but exposed overdependence on episodic hype, as inconsistent execution and regulatory hurdles limited long-term viability.^[93][92] Digital ventures encompassed the hightimes.com website, which prioritized content on cannabis news, cultivation, and strains, alongside a mobile app for offline magazine access and a comprehensive digital archive granting subscribers unlimited access to every issue since 1974.^[94][95][96] The platform projected digital media revenue growth from $1.2 million in 2018 to $10 million in 2019 through expanded online advertising and subscriptions, though by September 2025, global traffic rankings had slipped to #308,871, reflecting broader declines tied to content saturation and shifting user habits post-legalization.^[97][98] These efforts aimed at diversification but underscored causal limits: initial boosts from digital pivots faded without adaptive monetization, contributing to overall revenue instability amid bankruptcy proceedings.^[97][41]

Controversies and Criticisms

Promotion of Illicit Drug Use

High Times magazine, launched in 1974, featured content that glamorized marijuana possession and cultivation during an era when such activities were federally illegal in the United States. The inaugural Fall 1974 issue included a centerfold depicting a 20-pound brick of Colombian marijuana posed seductively on white silk, setting a tone of eroticized presentation for the substance.^[99] Subsequent issues provided detailed growing guides, strain reviews, and pricing information, effectively serving as instructional manuals for illicit production and distribution despite federal prohibitions under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970.^[18] This pre-legalization emphasis encouraged readers, particularly youth in counterculture circles, to engage in prohibited behaviors, normalizing marijuana as a recreational staple without acknowledging enforcement risks or health detriments. In the 1980s, amid rising cocaine prevalence, High Times expanded promotion to harder drugs, featuring cocaine on covers, in centerfolds, and through positive articles that portrayed it as a sophisticated enhancer rather than a highly addictive stimulant. From 1979 to the mid-1980s, editorial shifts included coverage consulting psychopharmacologists to frame cocaine use favorably, diverging from the magazine's marijuana focus and aligning with broader cultural experimentation.^{[3] [100]} Such depictions contributed to media environments linked empirically to heightened adolescent drug initiation; studies show exposure to substance portrayals in entertainment and advertising correlates with increased experimentation rates, with 93% of popular films depicting alcohol and 22% referencing illicit drugs, patterns analogous to print media like High Times.^[101] Countering narratives of harmless recreation, evidence underscores cannabis's role in progression to harder substances and productivity impairments. Peer-reviewed analyses of progression probabilities indicate that lifetime cannabis users face elevated risks of subsequent illicit drug involvement, supporting gateway associations through shared vulnerability factors and pharmacological priming, though causality remains debated.^{[102] [103]} Fixed-effects studies reveal marijuana use reduces male employment likelihood and elevates involuntary job loss odds, with acute effects including sedation, impaired judgment, and slowed motor skills that diminish workplace output.^{[104] [105] [106]} High Times' glamorization overlooked these causal realities, prioritizing allure over documented societal costs like a 1.3% labor productivity decline following increased use.^[107]

Corporate Greed and Ethical Lapses

In the mid-2010s, High Times shifted aggressively toward monetizing its brand amid cannabis legalization, pursuing a Regulation A+ stock offering that aimed to raise up to $105 million by selling shares at $11 each to retail investors, including loyal readers. This pivot prioritized rapid expansion into events, acquisitions, and retail over traditional journalism, leading to over a dozen lawsuits since 2017 alleging breaches of contracts and unpaid obligations, such as a $2 million dispute with Southland Publishing over the Culture Magazine acquisition. Such decisions reflected a profit-driven strategy that strained resources, culminating in $12 million in losses during the first half of 2019 alone.^[11][108] High Times' investments in cannabis startups and media properties often faltered, with announced deals like the acquisitions of Spannabis and Humboldt Heritage either canceled or scrapped by 2020, eroding investor confidence and contributing to missed SEC filing deadlines in June 2020 that halted the stock offering. Editorial content increasingly blurred with promotional material, shifting focus to self-run events like the Cannabis Cup to drive revenue, which critics argued compromised the magazine's independence by prioritizing business interests over objective reporting. This included exploiting equity applicants and sabotaging acquired events like the Chalice Festival post-bankruptcy acquisition in 2018.^[11][11] Executive misconduct exacerbated these issues, exemplified by former CEO David Kohl's 2016 firing without notice, prompting a $6 million lawsuit for unpaid salary and bonuses amid leadership turmoil following Michael Kennedy's death. More gravely, in 2023, High Times Holding and board chair Adam Levin settled SEC charges for securities fraud by paying over $600,000, admitting to misleading investors through undisclosed payments for stock promotions and false representations of stock value. Levin agreed to plead guilty in January 2025 to related federal charges involving a scheme that defrauded investors of approximately $20 million via hidden analyst endorsements. A 2024 class-action lawsuit further alleged mismanagement of investor funds under Levin's 2017 acquisition of the company for $70 million. These cases highlight self-dealing and fiduciary lapses that prioritized executive gains over stakeholder protections, undermining the publication's credibility.^{[109][27][29]}

Internal Scandals and Legal Battles

In the magazine's early years under founder Thomas King Forçade, operations drew intense scrutiny from federal authorities due to Forçade's prior involvement in marijuana smuggling and activism. Forçade, who launched High Times in 1974, faced a decade of FBI surveillance following a 1970s smuggling incident that resulted in the death of associate Jack Grubman in a plane crash, as well as multiple arrests, including one in 1972 for disrupting Richard Nixon's inauguration protest.^[110][111] These incidents reflected Forçade's entanglements with illicit networks, though no direct convictions tied to the magazine's publishing activities were secured at the time.^[2] A notable operational scandal emerged in 2012 when senior High Times writer Rick Cusick was implicated in one of New York City's largest marijuana distribution rings, leading to his arrest alongside associates for trafficking over 100 pounds of cannabis.^[112] The case highlighted associations between staff and illegal drug operations, though it did not result in charges against the magazine itself or office raids; Cusick pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges, receiving a reduced sentence amid cooperation with authorities. This event underscored a pattern of personnel involvement in prohibited activities, contrasting with the publication's public stance on cannabis advocacy. Internal disputes escalated in the late 2010s with lawsuits from former editors alleging fraud and ouster. In January 2018, longtime editor Steve Bloom filed a $3 million suit claiming High Times owners defrauded him of equity shares, blocked access to archives for a Cannabis Cup documentary, and withheld payments owed from his tenure.^[113][114] The case settled out of court without admission of wrongdoing, but it exposed tensions over compensation and control post-Forçade era. Similar claims of mismanagement surfaced in related staff disputes, though convictions were absent. The 2020s brought regulatory probes into High Times Holdings' financial practices, culminating in SEC charges for securities fraud. From April 2020 to August 2021, the company, under Executive Chairman Adam Levin, engaged in undisclosed paid promotions of its Regulation A shares to influencers, deceiving investors about the arrangements and inflating perceived value.^[115][116] Hightimes settled for $400,000 in penalties without admitting guilt, while Levin paid $270,000 and agreed to a ban from officer roles; in January 2025, Levin pleaded guilty to conspiracy to tout securities, facing up to five years in prison.^[117][29] A 2024 class-action suit by investors further alleged fund mismanagement, resulting in asset sales amid bankruptcy proceedings, though outcomes remain pending. These developments illustrate recurring risks from opaque dealings and leadership decisions, often resolved via settlements rather than trials.^[30]

Cultural and Societal Impact

Contributions to Normalization and Legalization

High Times, established in 1974 by Tom Forçade, emerged during a pivotal era of state-level marijuana decriminalization, with eleven states reducing possession penalties to civil offenses by 1979 following the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse's 1972 recommendation for decriminalization.^[118] The magazine's early coverage emphasized cannabis's recreational and cultural dimensions through satirical articles and user testimonials, countering federal narratives of danger and fostering a view of users as ordinary citizens rather than deviants, which sustained reform momentum amid federal resistance.^[119] The High Times Cannabis Cup, inaugurated in Amsterdam in 1988, elevated strain quality as a competitive standard by convening judges to evaluate entries on potency, aroma, and effect, thereby popularizing hybrid varieties like Skunk #1 and Haze and incentivizing breeders to prioritize consumer-preferred traits over clandestine production.^[66] This event democratized knowledge of cannabis genetics, shifting perceptions from uniform "pot" to diverse products akin to wine varietals, and its annual iterations built international networks among cultivators that informed U.S. markets post-legalization.^[120] High Times advanced legalization by portraying drug prohibition as an unconstitutional infringement on individual autonomy, aligning with libertarian critiques of state overreach and appealing to cross-ideological reformers who viewed enforcement as wasteful tyranny rather than public health policy.^[56] This framing underpinned arguments in successful state initiatives, including Colorado's Amendment 64 in November 2012, which legalized recreational use with 55.3% voter approval after decades of cultural preconditioning via media like High Times.^[121]

Detrimental Effects and Broader Critiques

Regular cannabis use, particularly among adolescents, has been linked to cognitive impairments, including deficits in executive function, memory, and attention, with longitudinal studies showing persistent neuropsychological decline across multiple domains even after controlling for education and other factors.^[122] Early initiation during youth exacerbates these risks, altering neural structure and function in ways that may impair long-term behavioral outcomes and increase vulnerability to psychiatric disorders.^[123] Heavy lifetime use correlates with reduced brain activation during cognitive tasks, independent of recent consumption patterns.^[124] Media portrayals glamorizing cannabis, akin to those in outlets like High Times, contribute to initiation among youth by fostering permissive attitudes, with exposure to positive depictions associated with higher odds of subsequent use and frequency.^[125][126] Systematic reviews indicate that such content on platforms including print and digital media normalizes experimentation, particularly among adolescents, where social influences amplify risk without adequately conveying health costs like addiction or impairment.^[101] While legalization has generated tax revenues in some states, empirical data reveal uneliminated illicit markets, with black market sales persisting at 40-70% of total volume post-legalization due to price disparities, unregulated potency preferences, and regulatory gaps.^[127] This continuity sustains enforcement costs and organized crime involvement, contradicting claims of market displacement.^[128] Societal critiques highlight fiscal burdens from increased treatment demands and residual criminal justice expenditures, estimated at billions annually pre- and post-legalization when factoring in cannabis use disorders and related healthcare.^[129] Right-leaning analyses emphasize net social costs, including family instability from dependency—evidenced by higher rates of child welfare interventions in households with parental substance issues—and youth productivity losses, outweighing selective economic gains amid biased academic underreporting of harms.^[130] Despite contributions to destigmatization, the normalization trajectory promoted by cannabis media has prioritized cultural appeal over causal evidence of elevated addiction prevalence, with use disorder rates rising 15-20% in legalized jurisdictions among young adults.^[131]