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Great Moments in Weed History

High Times Founder Tom Forcade Pt. 1

Great Moments in Weed History

David Bienenstock

Tv & Film, Comedy, History

4.8659 Ratings

🗓️ 7 November 2019

⏱️ 51 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Weed smuggler/political revolutionary Tom Forcade once described his life goal as going “all the way, whatever that may bring."  In 1974, at just 29 years old, he used profits from flying planeloads of Colombian bud into the country to found High Times magazine. At the time, Forcade already had a long history of subversive acts under his belt, including throwing a pie in the face of Otto Larsen, head of the U.S. Commission on Obscenity and Pornography during a congressional hearing, getting indicted for a supposed plot to firebomb the 1972 Republican National Convention, forming the Zippies as a more confrontational alternative to Abbie Hoffman's Yippies, and helping to lead the then ascendent underground press movement in the United States. But while everyone today knows High Times, few remember the brilliant, radical, mercurial swashbuckler who started it all. So buckle up for one of the wildest, weediest rides in the history of this weed history podcast. Also in this episode: As a ten year High Times veteran, Bean shares his thoughts on that experience, and speculates on what Tom Forcade might think of today’s cannabis industry—including the investors who’ve taken control of his creation. Check out the book Smoking Typewriters to learn more about the underground press movement of the 1960s and 70s, which was frequently targeted for marijuana arrests as part of a general campaign of government repression. PATREON Please support Great Moments in Weed HIstory on Patreon. Supporters get exclusive access to video shows and seshes, plus access to cool rewards like a signed book or signature lighter. And it truly helps us make the best show possible.

Transcript

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0:00.0

This podcast is for adults 21 years of age or older.

0:04.1

We talk about cannabis history and advertise cannabis products.

0:07.6

If you're not 21, come back when you are.

0:12.5

Spoke Media.

0:15.6

Hey, how's it going, folks?

0:17.3

It's Abdullah.

0:18.2

And Bean.

0:19.1

And welcome back for yet another edition of great

0:23.1

moments in weed history. On this show, my partner Bean and I, who are both cannabis,

0:28.6

journalists and media makers, go through one of the more fascinating points in the very,

0:33.6

very long history of cannabis. I myself have no prior knowledge of the story we're about

0:38.9

to hear. I'm going to be hearing it fresh just like you are. And Bean has researched and written

0:43.9

the story. He's going to be telling it to us. We're going to smoke some weed. And we're going to

0:48.0

have some fun. So join us. Bean, what do you got going on for us today? Today's story is a rocket

0:53.9

ship ride. And it is about somebody who has had a profound impact

0:59.8

on my own life, whose work in the world of weed set me on this path and changed the course

1:08.0

of my life, but who I never had an opportunity to actually meet.

1:12.2

Everybody in weed knows what this person accomplished, but very, very few people know this

1:18.0

person's story. So it's with a lot of joy and anticipation and responsibility, I think,

1:26.0

that I am here to share it with you, and I cannot wait.

1:29.6

I can't wait to hear it. I have a couple of ideas as to who we might be talking about,

1:33.8

but I'm going to wait till you tell me a little bit more. All right, so I've got this joint

...

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