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Globe and Mail
10-07-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Josh Kesselman, HBI Innovations Founder, Announces Purchase of High Times
New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - July 10, 2025) - Josh Kesselman, entrepreneur and founder of HBI Innovations, has announced the exclusive purchase of High Times magazine, Cannabis Cup and associated assets in an all-cash transaction. Alongside partner and former 2000s-era High Times co-owner Matt Stang, this $3.5 million acquisition is intent on reviving the publishing powerhouse. Former High Times co-owner Matt Stang with Josh Kesselman, who paid $3.5 million for the High Times intellectual property rights. PHOTO: BIG FREEZY High Times was founded in 1974 and was a prominent player in the cannabis community. The counterculture publication featured legends like Charles Bukowski, Willie Nelson, Debbie Harry, Hunter S. Thompson and Bob Marley. Kesselman's purchase of High Times has been featured in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Yahoo! Finance. "This is a 'pinch yourself' kind of moment for me, just unbelievable," said Kesselman in the announcement. "Eighteen-year-old stoner Josh would be in complete disbelief that I get to bring back a piece of history that has played such an important part in culture and impacted so many lives, including my own. This feels like a dream. Having Matt Stang, an OG and a former owner-operator of the magazine, involved in this acquisition just makes it all come full circle. It's surreal to be a small part of giving back to the community that helped make me." "High Times was founded in 1974 and taken over by a private equity group in 2017." New York Times. "Our goal is to rebuild the voice of authenticity that defined High Times' legacy, to cut through the controversy of inaccurate information, create a truly cross-generational community, and restore High Times to its rightful place as an international beacon of counterculture," Josh Kesselman added. "And most importantly? HAVE FUN while doing it." An additional $1.85 million has already been pumped to support kickstarting the magazine and to cover the additional costs including trademark fees and digitizing High Time's extensive archive of content. Kesselman and Stang also plan to introduce licensing deals to create High Times products. Kesselman and Stang also plan to introduce licensing deals to create High Times products, including the famous High Times T-shirts, rolling papers through RAW, and connect their readers with cannabis social media influencers according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. High Times will soon be relaunched as a comprehensive platform serving as a hub for information and connection, mixing legacy with modern relevance. Plans include: Relaunching the print magazine in limited-run, collectible editions. Reintroducing the iconic Cannabis Cup event series, with third-party judging and zero pay-to-play involvement, returning legitimacy to the industry's most revered competition. Rebuilding the digital platform to host a curated network of cannabis podcasts, experts and community voices. Commemorating the brand's 50-year legacy and heralding the future of free thinking. Protecting the truth of the power of the plant. To view the source version of this press release, please visit
Globe and Mail
02-07-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Josh Kesselman, HBI Innovations Founder, Featured in Wall Street Journal Piece on High Times Purchase
New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - July 2, 2025) - Josh Kesselman, who founded HBI innovations, recently spoke with the Wall Street Journal about his purchase of the iconic counterculture publication, High Times. Kesselman is partnering with Matt Stang, former High Times co-owner, to revive the print version of the magazine, with special-edition releases and relaunching the flagship Cannabis Cup pot competition. "The old High Times, the monetization one, had to be completely destroyed down to the ashes. That way of thinking had to go away," Kesselman said. Former High Times co-owner Matt Stang with Josh Kesselman, who paid $3.5 million for the High Times intellectual property rights. PHOTO: BIG FREEZY Josh Kesselman, who founded RAW® rolling papers, paid $3.5 million for the High Times intellectual property rights. Kesselman and Stang also intend to roll out licensing deals to create High Times products, including rolling papers through RAW, and create community by connecting readers with cannabis social media influencers. The Wall Street Journal wrote, "Kesselman is candid about the magazine's prospects in an era of fractured media attention: He expects the magazine to lose money initially. He just hopes to pick up enough business with die-hard marijuana enthusiasts to eventually break even, he said." The article also reported that Kesselman, "has already pumped an additional $1.85 million into jump-starting the magazine, covering costs including trademark fees and digitizing old content." "I know typically in business people have this whole plan," Kesselman said. "But the funny part, Matt and I always tell people, is we have no plan. The most important thing to us was to actually save High Times." The Wall Street Journal article states, "Trans-High Corp., or THC, the magazine's publisher since its 1974 founding, sold its assets to private-equity firm Oreva Capital in 2017. The new parent company, Hightimes Holding, entered into receivership in April 2024 and the website hasn't been updated in months. Its last print edition came out in September." "Kesselman, 54, was introduced to weed culture in High Times as a teen, when marijuana was illegal in the U.S., stashing a copy wrapped in brown paper away from his parents." The decision to bring back High Times' print issue by Kesselman and Stang is in line with a recent trend of publications expanding or reviving their print operations, including the Atlantic, the Onion and the Tablet. Read the full article here. Source: Grasslands
