Sponsored message
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

News

High Times Magazine Is Moving To Los Angeles

1hightimes.JPG

Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.

New York City is about to lose another high-profile name to Los Angeles. High Times magazine, which was founded in a Greenwich Village basement in 1974, has operated out of Manhattan for the last 43 years.

"The center of the cannabis universe has moved to California," Matt Stang, the magazine's chief revenue officer, told Crain's New York Business. "New York used to be a liberal bastion...Even the medical marijuana law in New York is one of the most restrictive and least helpful to those in need."

High Times will be moving from their current Midtown Manhattan office, which has some 30 staffers, to their new L.A. office near The Grove, reports Fishbowl NY. It is unclear if all 30 staffers will make the move.

According to Time Out Los Angeles, the magazine has even signed a deal with United Talent Agency to develop film and/or TV ideas.

Founder Thomas King Forcade originally envisioned the magazine as a one-off stoner's spoof of Playboy. However, its popularity elicited more issues of the magazine, and, eventually, circulation was rivaling Rolling Stone's. Contributors to the magazine have included  Hunter S. Thompson, William Burroughs, Charles Bukowski, Allen Ginsberg and Truman Capote, according to The Nation.

In its modern form, the magazine calls itself the "definitive resource for all things cannabis," and has grown beyond "the print, digital and physical worlds through magazines, websites, apps and live events."

Looks like what they said is true: Proposition 64 did have unintended consequences.

You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.

Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.

If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.

Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

Make your tax-deductible year-end gift today

A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right