High Times Goes Down

[CharlesU Farley]

I was going to put this in the Tokers Den, because like everything else, I have a fairly strong opinion on the subject and I seem to piss people off without knowing about it or even trying to. With that said, this is essentially a financial story more than anything else, but I think it's really _moral_.

The legal/corporate entity that is responsible for the ownership of High Times has just gone into receivership. Which essentially means, they're circling the drain financially, and getting ready to go down the tubes.

Morally, they went down such a long fucking time ago.

If you're familiar with the true origin story and history of High Times, you'll know that it's founder Tom Forcade, a pirate smuggler of cannabis, would turn over in his fucking _grave_ knowing that the corporate entity he was responsible for creating... puked up, narced out and turned over _names_ of people who had bought growing equipment via ads in High Times.

Do a dive on Operation Green Merchant and you'll understand why I have such strong feelings. Not counting the fact that I ordered a 1 kilowatt MH HID light from Midwest supplies from an ad in their mag!

All I had to do was live with paranoia, people like Steve Murphy got their life totally and completely _fucked_.

I'll leave you with a quote from my website... "the only thing I trust about High Times after the '80s was the photography." All the rest of it, _especially_ the Cannabis Cup competition after 2000, was pure political and financial bullshit.

You reap what you sow, what goes around come around, pick your cliche but High Times deserves it.

Seriously, do a deep dive into Tom Forcade to see a man who had honor and dignity, while dealing in a world of murderers, pirates, and thieves.

My wife Harley just now mentioned something about Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves... got to leave that out because our Gypsy ain't associated with no tramps or thieves, other than those of us who use his forum.

Receiver appointed for High Times assets

The receiver for lender ExWorks appointed Kevin Singer of Receiver Specialists to oversee the sales of High Times' assets to settle owed debts.

www.greenmarketreport.com

 

[therealpacific]

Yep after green merchant I never looked at that rag again. I have a few older issues that I kept around for old times sake.

 

[Dequilo]

Operation Green Merchant

Worms Way did folks and then Pipe Dreams the whole three hole pipe thing

 

[midwest]

I'm a bit unclear how High Times had info on people who bought from their advertisers.

 

[CharlesU Farley]

I'm a bit unclear how High Times had info on people who bought from their advertisers.

The DEA went to the powers that be at High Times and said, give us all the info you have on the people who advertised growing equipment on your magazine, so we can turn the screws on _them_, or will make your life so fucking difficult you won't be able to publish on toilet paper.

Instead of saying fuck off, our advertisers are our business, not yours, stick it up your ass and we'll see you in court with our lawyers, cuz we've got to whole shitload of money cuz our magazine is wildly successful at this time, so we'll let the legal eagles sort it out. And then in the meantime, they _could_ have contacted those people who paid them money for the ads and said hey the DEA is on _our_ ass you all better be aware that they're coming after _you_.

That's not what they did.

 

[chuckyoufarley]

i was an avid customer of HIGHTIMES magazine from 1974 until the 90's and when they started advertizing the fake weed s thats when i said fuck this weed rag if they are going to promote fake weed then i wont buy anymore . i have a lil diddy in the hemp 100 , jack n jill went up the hill to score a bag of grass ,jack was swift and rolled a spliff now he's getting some ass.

 

[Mr. J]

Why would the DEA need High Times to tell them about the people who advertised in their magazine? Couldn't they just look at the magazine and see who advertised in it? What would High Times know about the people advertising in their magazine that would be incriminating?

It's not like High Times was selling the growing equipment so I'm not understanding what their connection is to the people who purchased grow gear from their advertisers and who were eventually busted for growing. Is it being implied that they're guilty for not warning the advertisers that the DEA was asking about them?

 

[pop_rocks]

i was an avid customer of HIGHTIMES magazine from 1974 until the 90's and when they started advertizing the fake weed s thats when i said fuck this weed rag if they are going to promote fake weed then i wont buy anymore . i have a lil diddy in the hemp 100 , jack n jill went up the hill to score a bag of grass ,jack was swift and rolled a spliff now he's getting some ass.

even back in the day the would advertise thing like ephedrine and caffeine pills so it was always kind of janky
but its a druggie mag for crying out loud
/demographics my man!
but im old school and before the internet high times was the place to see the best weed pics and hear how others grew it
/remember dr.indoors?
but the whole thing went down hill fast and even the integrity of the mag went to sh!t later
/want to buy a cannabis cup?
i still remember stuff i read in teh ask ed section

 

[pop_rocks]

Why would the DEA need High Times to tell them about the people who advertised in their magazine? Couldn't they just look at the magazine and see who advertised in it? What would High Times know about the people advertising in their magazine that would be incriminating?

It's not like High Times was selling the growing equipment so I'm not understanding what their connection is to the people who purchased grow gear from their advertisers and who were eventually busted for growing. Is it being implied that they're guilty for not warning the advertisers that the DEA was asking about them?

RIGHT!
how would high times have access to that kind of information?back then
its the advertisers who narced out people in this case
/in todays digital age the site might have some kind of click through stat
but how would high times know who wrote to the place or called the number printed in the ad?
/ Forcade throws a pie in your face?
but i saw ht turn from a mag to a rag
/and what of their online presence? im sure they had a web site and a forum

 

[CharlesU Farley]

Why would the DEA need High Times to tell them about the people who advertised in their magazine? Couldn't they just look at the magazine and see who advertised in it? What would High Times know about the people advertising in their magazine that would be incriminating?

It's not like High Times was selling the growing equipment so I'm not understanding what their connection is to the people who purchased grow gear from their advertisers and who were eventually busted for growing. Is it being implied that they're guilty for not warning the advertisers that the DEA was asking about them?

Either you weren't around back in the '80s or you just don't understand.

And I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to help you understand because you're unable to connect the dots and I don't have the time or inclination to connect them for you.

 

[Mr. J]

I was around in the 80s and even if I wasn't you still aren't making any sense. What would High Times know about the people who purchased grow lights from the people who advertised in their magazine? It's a simple question.

 

[igrowone]

I do fondly recall the 70s HT, at the time they were at the top of that heap
wasn't really aware how far the brand had deteriorated, sad

 

[mudballs]

"when the DEA advanced Operation Green Merchant to go after the hydroponics people. All of those advertisers, they were our advertising base. [Federal law enforcement agencies] also kept subpoenaing our subscriber list, and we refused to give it to them"

 

[Marz]

@Mr. J , Tommy Chong got 9 months for selling BONGS in the early 2000's.
Why wouldn't they sue HT for selling ads related to "drug use and trafficking support"?
DEA, FBI, CIA, ATF... They fu3k each other, why not fu3k a weed mag?

Operation Green Merchant | Cannabis Culture

web.archive.org

 

[Marz]

I ask to deliver all my grow stuff in another address.
I remember reading a story of feds coming to deliver a pack of seeds and that dude has a grow in the address.

Green Merchant is the origin of my eternal neurosis regarding cannabis goods.

 

[Mr. J]

@Mr. J , Tommy Chong got 9 months for selling BONGS in the early 2000's.
Why wouldn't they sue HT for selling ads related to "drug use and trafficking support"?
DEA, FBI, CIA, ATF... They fu3k each other, why not fu3k a weed mag?

Operation Green Merchant | Cannabis Culture

web.archive.org

Yes I understand Operation Green Merchant was a thing.My question was what did High Time have to do with people who were busted? What information could they have had on the customers of the hydroponics stores who advertised in their magazine? What exactly are they guilty of?

 

[Marz]

Yes I understand Operation Green Merchant was a thing.My question was what did High Time have to do with people who were busted? What information could they have had on the customers of the hydroponics stores who advertised in their magazine? What exactly are they guilty of?

Do you think they need a "technical" reason?
Read the CC linked above and its well explained.

 

[Energy Turtle]

Throughout the 90's I always bought my lamps and supplies from Fred Meyers and local gardening centers.
I was still paranoid purchasing fluorescent shop lights, street lights extension cords and 10 2 cubic foot bags of potting soil....

 

[mudballs]

Yes I understand Operation Green Merchant was a thing.My question was what did High Time have to do with people who were busted? What information could they have had on the customers of the hydroponics stores who advertised in their magazine? What exactly are they guilty of?

It's 'trail of evidence"' ...the DA (district attorney) and a prosecutor can get the subscribers list...Mudballs let's say. Prosecutor has mudballs as HT subscriber...my address is info in my subscription, to get HT hardcopy delivered. Just find the LED sellers shipment addresses...oh look mudballs received an LED at his address listed on HT subscription...why would mudballs need an LED? "Your honor, we have grounds for a warrant to search mudballs property." It's open shut case brah...
"question was what did High Time have to do with people who were busted"
those busted were probably just delivery intercepts of manufacturers, and it's a topic of interest that HT also had people with matching addresses...of course they had matching addresses, that's how the enduser found the LED advertising

 

[D. B. Doober]

Yep after green merchant I never looked at that rag again. I have a few older issues that I kept around for old times sake.

When was Operation Green Merchant? Did it really happen?