Editor-in-Chief of High Times Joins The Rotation to Talk Cannabis Media, Censorship, and the Future of Legalization

Carlos Hermida
Jan 31
5 min read

Recap of our latest The Rotation episode with Javier Jasso of High Times

If you tuned in expecting the usual Sunday rotation… surprise. We dropped a special Thursday episode, because Tampa was gearing up for Gasparilla—the annual moment when pirates “take over” the city, and we all pretend we’re shocked by it.

And yes: We opened the show talking like a pirate.

Because if the choice is pirates invading Tampa for a weekend or politicians trying to plunder our rights year-round… I’ll take the pirates. At least they show up with costumes and don’t pretend censorship is “community safety.”

This week’s guest made it worth breaking schedule: the editor-in-chief of the revitalized High Times, Javier Jasso—a journalist, grower, longtime stoner, and someone who understands the difference between cannabis culture and cannabis “boof culture.”

What followed was part cannabis history lesson, part media strategy session, and part therapy for anyone who’s ever had a post deleted for using the word “CBD.”

The return of a cornerstone of cannabis culture

For decades, High Times wasn’t just a magazine—it was a lighthouse. It was how people found grow tips, strain photos, activism, and community before social media existed (and before social media started shadowbanning the word “weed” like it’s a weapon).

Javier confirmed what a lot of longtime readers have been hoping to hear: there’s a real effort to honor the legacy and bring back the legends—names like Ed Rosenthal, Jorge Cervantes, and Kyle Kushman—while also modernizing what High Times does and who it speaks to.

He also teased what’s coming in print: collectible quarterly issues, a newly surfaced lost interview with Tom Forcade from the 1970s, and deep features that simply can’t survive algorithmic moderation.

That’s the key point: print still matters—because print can’t be “community standarded” into oblivion.

Social media censorship is real, and it’s not your imagination

We got into the reality every cannabis educator, advocate, and business owner already knows: you can say “educational,” you can say “harm reduction,” you can say “policy,” you can post a magazine cover from the 1970s—and you can still get flagged like you’re running an international cartel.

We talked about how platforms like Meta rely on automated moderation that gets it wrong constantly, especially when it comes to cannabis content. Javier’s take was blunt and practical:

These are private platforms, and the rules are inconsistent.
The enforcement is mostly algorithmic, and the algorithms are not as smart as they think they are.
You can fight it politically, but day-to-day you also have to navigate it creatively if you want your message to survive.

That means sometimes using softer language on Instagram or Facebook just to stay online long enough to reach people.

It’s annoying. It’s unfair. But the mission is bigger than our pride about vocabulary.

Digital attention spans vs. long-form truth

We asked the big question: how does a legacy print brand thrive in a world where people scroll faster than they read?

Javier’s answer was basically: you don’t force one format on everyone—you build multiple formats for multiple audiences.

The website can run daily cover stories for people who want depth.
Social can carry the headline and the hook without triggering deletion.
Print can go deep, uncensored, and unafraid.

And most importantly: cannabis media can be serious and fun. Advocacy, science, reform, criminal justice… and also joy. The plant is all of it. The culture is all of it.

Industry vs. culture: can they coexist?

This part hit home, because we’ve all watched the shift:

What used to be plant-first culture got flooded by money-first industry. The “how can we legalize” conversation became “how can we monetize fastest.”

Javier has lived on both sides. He came from Benzinga, but he was a grower and a stoner before he was ever a financial journalist. His view was nuanced:

Industry and culture can coexist.
They don’t always mix well.
But legalization movements need allies for all kinds of reasons—ethics, medicine, freedom, yes… and sometimes money.

We might not love every corporate move, but we should be grown-ups about strategy: if it ends prohibition and keeps people out of cages, it moves the needle.

“Marijuana” vs. “cannabis”: the debate that won’t die

Yes, we went there.

We talked about the contested history of the word “marijuana,” how it was racialized and weaponized over time, and whether activists should avoid it.

Javier’s stance was refreshing: use what works, don’t police each other, and don’t feed stigma by acting like the word itself is radioactive. He also pointed out a real-world truth from Latin America: changing language can change public comfort levels.

He referenced how activism in Argentina helped normalize the term “cannabis” in mainstream media—partly driven by patient and mother-led groups like Mamá Cultiva Argentina—and how that shift made conversations about medical use easier for the public to accept.

Bottom line: language is a tool. Use it strategically. Don’t turn it into a purity test.

The “adult” approach: acknowledge benefits and realities

One of the strongest moments of the episode was Javier calling out something the movement sometimes avoids:

If we want to be taken seriously, we can’t pretend cannabis has zero adverse effects in every context.

That doesn’t mean fear-mongering. It means credibility.

A topical isn’t a dab. A low-dose edible isn’t a 90% concentrate. A 15% flower isn’t the same as chasing the highest THC number on a menu. Effects vary, risks vary, benefits vary—and education means acknowledging that.

That’s how you win policy battles: not by being loud, but by being accurate.

What “best program” means depends on who you’re protecting

We ended with a question Javier refused to answer the easy way: “Which state has the best medical program? Which has the best adult-use program?”

He wouldn’t crown a winner, because the reality is every program is flawed and every program has tradeoffs:

Falling prices help patients but hurt farmers.
Strict regulation can improve safety but can lock out small operators.
“No government at all” sounds libertarian until corporations dominate—and then people want protections again.

The best takeaway wasn’t a ranking. It was this: any adult-use program is better than none, and every legal market can be improved if activists stay engaged after the headlines fade.

High Times Cannabis Cup is back—and the “People’s Choice” model matters

Javier also announced something that should get everyone’s attention: a High Times Cannabis Cup event in New York City (February 7, per the episode), using a People’s Choice Award format.

That matters, because cannabis has had enough gatekeeping. “Best weed” isn’t whatever has the highest THC on paper—it’s what’s clean, what smokes right, and what people actually enjoy.

How you can help (and why it matters more than you think)

Javier made a point that applies to all advocacy media—including ours:

Algorithms reward memes more than substance. If you want real journalism and real education to survive, you have to interact with it like it matters.

So here’s the ask:

Read the articles.
Watch the episodes.
Leave a comment that says, “This was worth making.”
Share it with one person who needs it.
And if you can: support the media and advocacy work financially—subscriptions, memberships, donations.

Because the only way we keep cannabis culture alive is by refusing to let it be quietly deleted.