What does it mean to you? So often, we forget that each of us sees the world through a unique lens. While we may share an experience, our exact perspective is ours alone.
Many of us discovered High Times during different chapters of our lives. For me, it started in childhood. I grew up reading the magazine, drawn to its bold voice and rebellious energy. It inspired me. It offered a sense of freedom—and more than anything, it reassured me that I wasn’t alone in believing this plant made life better. Whether cannabis helped us feel balanced, feel whole, or simply feel good, High Times was a beacon for those of us who saw it as more than just a vice.
Today, cannabis is often framed as a safer alternative to alcohol or tobacco. While that may be true, that narrative feels incomplete. For those of us who came up in the culture, the plant was never just about harm reduction. Our early experiences weren’t driven by taste, branding, or appearance. They were about how it made us feel.
We smoked what we could get our hands on. Brown buds with stems and seeds—sometimes green, sometimes dry and dusty, sometimes damp and moldy. The names were basic or nonexistent. We called it green, brown, dirt, chronic, bammer. No one was posting nug photos or comparing flavor profiles to candy. We were in it for the high, for the relief, and for the connection.
For me, cannabis was a constant. Before school, at lunch, after school. We masked the smell with gum, sprays, and excuses. Everyone around me smoked. My friends, the dealers, the heads at shows, the random adults who still had a foot in the underground. Often, people sold just to afford their own habit. …
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Author: James Loud / High Times
