High Times Seals Branding Deal, Magazine Stalls
Hightimes Holding Corp., parent company of High Times magazine, has penned a deal with Red White & Bloom, Inc. (RWB) to license their branding in Michigan, Illinois, and Florida.Eighteen planned and operational provisioning centers will be renamed as High Times stores, using the trademarked logo and brand. According to the announcement on High Times website, RWB’s investee, PharmaCo, is the leading cannabis company in Michigan. PharmaCo was recently awarded 4 municipal Class C grow licenses in Au Gres and 5 in Spaulding Township, equalling about 13,500 plants. The company already began planting earlier in 2020 at their 22,000 square foot facility in Detroit, where they claim full capacity will bring them 4,500lbs of “the most sought after top-shelf cannabis strains in the State.”
High Times goes on to add that not only will their brand appear on the store front, plans to include High Times brand vapes, tinctures, topicals, and edibles at these stores and as third party products are coming as well.
“High times is a 46-year-old brand with an immense amount of recognition and credibility across the world,” stated CEO of Hightimes Holdings Corp., Peter Horvath. “Licensing the High Times name, advising on dispensary operations, and providing input on product development allows the company to drive significant revenue from the licensing fees without assuming the complexity associated with owning and operating dispensaries and scaled cultivation and manufacturing facilities nationwide. RWB has built an incredible and expansive retail footprint in a quick time frame that we can strengthen through applying the High Times Brand.”
The announcement came two months prior to a New York Post article on July 21 that stated High Times hoped to rebound from “coronavirus woes.” The magazine has not run a print edition since April, and it’s recently acquired magazines Dope and Culture have been suspended indefinitely. High Times laid off it’s entire staff citing the pandemic, and has recently restaffed expecting to continue with print. Five former employees, including Danny Vinkovetsky (known as Danny Danko) who was a columnist for twenty years, have joined rival Leaf Nation. Vinkovetsky stating, “They (High Times) have been the voice of marijuana media since 1974, and it’s a shame to see that seemingly coming to an end.”
Lapeer Votes 3-2 In Favor of Recreational Cannabis
At a heated meeting the Lapeer City Commission approved the amending of a city ordinance to allow for adult-use marijuana 3-2.
Opponents accused their fellow memebers of bowing to lobbyists unethically, and question the lack of a task force to study the issue. Proponents cited the fact that medical marijuana is already permitted, and likened the changes to a resturant who sells beer and wine asking to have a full bar.
Actual sales may be a few months off as there are still rules to prepare, and zoning ordinances to address.
