High Times Magazine
Submitted by HighTimesfan@live.com
High Times is a New York-based magazine devoted to the cannabis culture. The magazine and thier editors advocates the legalization of marijuana nad is the leading cannabis publication world wide. The current senior editors of the magazine are David Bienenstock, Bobby Black, Chris Simunek, and Dan Skye.
The magazine was founded in 1974 by Tom Forcade of the Underground Press Syndicate. High Times was originally modeled on Playboy magazine, except that rather than catering to consumers of recreational sex, it caters to consumers of recreational use of drugs. Each issue had a centerfold photo, not of a nude woman, but typically of a choice grade of cannabis plant. (Although for a brief period during the late 1970s and early '80s, they featured centerfolds dedicated to cocaine.) In 1988, Steven Hager was hired as editor-in-chief. He removed hard drugs from the magazine and began a campaign to encourage personal use and cultivation of cannabis. Hager also founded the Cannabis Cup(the Academy Awards of Marijuana) and the High Times Freedom Fighters (one of the original hemp legalization groups).
The Freedom Fighters began when Hager received an invitation to attend the annual Hash Bash in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1987. Once one of the country's largest annual legalization events, the Hash Bash, like all other counterculture rallies, was about to die out. Inspired by the art of the Merry Pranksters and Provo, and the historical information of Jack Herer'syet unpublished research, Hager created a band of activists that traveled the country in a psychedelic bus, creating major legalization events across the country, including the Boston Freedom Rally, which quickly became the largest political event in the country, drawing crowds of over 100,000 to Boston Common. In 1990, the magazine released a documentary, Let Freedom Ring, detailing the activities of the group. The film starred Willie Nelson and was directed by Bob Brandel.
Eventually, the Freedom Fighters became targeted by law enforcement. The group's biggest supporter, Rodger Belknap of West Virginia, was jailed, while other members had their homes broken into and membership information removed. After five years of providing free campgrounds and free food to activists attending major rallies, the Freedom Fighter mailing list was turned over toNORML at the annual Hash Bash convention.
High Times is a New York-based magazine devoted to the cannabis culture. The magazine and thier editors advocates the legalization of marijuana nad is the leading cannabis publication world wide. The current senior editors of the magazine are David Bienenstock, Bobby Black, Chris Simunek, and Dan Skye.
The magazine was founded in 1974 by Tom Forcade of the Underground Press Syndicate. High Times was originally modeled on Playboy magazine, except that rather than catering to consumers of recreational sex, it caters to consumers of recreational use of drugs. Each issue had a centerfold photo, not of a nude woman, but typically of a choice grade of cannabis plant. (Although for a brief period during the late 1970s and early '80s, they featured centerfolds dedicated to cocaine.) In 1988, Steven Hager was hired as editor-in-chief. He removed hard drugs from the magazine and began a campaign to encourage personal use and cultivation of cannabis. Hager also founded the Cannabis Cup(the Academy Awards of Marijuana) and the High Times Freedom Fighters (one of the original hemp legalization groups).
The Freedom Fighters began when Hager received an invitation to attend the annual Hash Bash in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1987. Once one of the country's largest annual legalization events, the Hash Bash, like all other counterculture rallies, was about to die out. Inspired by the art of the Merry Pranksters and Provo, and the historical information of Jack Herer'syet unpublished research, Hager created a band of activists that traveled the country in a psychedelic bus, creating major legalization events across the country, including the Boston Freedom Rally, which quickly became the largest political event in the country, drawing crowds of over 100,000 to Boston Common. In 1990, the magazine released a documentary, Let Freedom Ring, detailing the activities of the group. The film starred Willie Nelson and was directed by Bob Brandel.
Eventually, the Freedom Fighters became targeted by law enforcement. The group's biggest supporter, Rodger Belknap of West Virginia, was jailed, while other members had their homes broken into and membership information removed. After five years of providing free campgrounds and free food to activists attending major rallies, the Freedom Fighter mailing list was turned over toNORML at the annual Hash Bash convention.
