Many of you out there know that I worked for High Times for nearly 20 years, from 1988 to 2007. Towards the end of my run with Trans High Corp. (the parent company), I hatched the idea for CelebStoner.com. That was in 2006.
With the help of my cousin Peter Stoermer, we launched the site 10 years ago, in the first week of December. Our first big post was P. Diddy puffing a blunt at a Toronto club. We were off and running.
Why CelebStoner? While at High Times, I got to meet many celebrity cannabis supporters, like Tommy Chong, Willie Nelson, Snoop Dogg, Bill Maher, Amy Poehler, Sarah Silverman, Dave Chappelle, Doug Benson and Cypress Hill. That's what I primarily did at the venerable weed mag – music, movies and celebrity coverage. I thought it was time for a website devoted to celebs who advocate for legalization, and so CelebStoner was born.
The site has gone through several webmasters and redesigns over the years, but it wasn't until I met Garret Overstreet at a NORML Conference in 2011 and subsequently asked him to take over the tech side of the site that it really came into its own. Garret's a great guy who in the last year has battled cancer. He'd built such a tight site that I was able to manage it while he was recuperating. Thankfully, Garret's doing better and is back at his job as webmaster.
Though I write most of the blog posts, I've had help from other writers who have either worked for free or for small compensation. I'd like to thank the following people for their contributions to the site: Tommy Chong, Matt Chelsea, George Colombo, Kristopher Christensen, Chris Goldstein, Patrick Hall, Ellen Komp, David Malmo-Levine, Joselin Linder, Beth Mann, Doug McVay, Mezz Merai, Mitch Myers, Allison Margolin, Tony Papa, Preston Peet and Dru West.
Back in 2006 and 2007, there wasn't a lot of competition on the web. It was pretty much High Times, NORML and a few other weed-themed startups. I got in early and continue today to present the news as I see fit.
Two years ago, I took over the helm as editor-in-chief of Freedom Leaf magazine. We have a terrific website, which I edit as well. So between CelebStoner and Freedom Leaf, my hands are full.
Thanks again for your support over the years and, as always, let's legalize it!
