Steven Hager (born May 25, 1951, Illinois) is an American writer, journalist, filmmaker, and

counterculture A counterculture is a culture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores.Eric Donald Hirsch. ''The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy''. Hou ...

and

cannabis rights Cannabis rights or marijuana rights (sometimes more specifically cannabis consumer rights or stoner rights) are individual civil and human rights that vary by jurisdiction. The rights of people who consume cannabis include the right to be free f ...

activist. He is known for his long association with ''

High Times ''High Times'' is an American monthly magazine (and cannabis brand) that advocates the legalization of cannabis as well as other counterculture ideas. The magazine was founded in 1974 by Tom Forcade.Danko, Danny"Norml Founder Retires – Exha ...

'' magazine.

Biography

Early life and education

Hager was born on May 25, 1951, in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, the son of Lowell P. Hager and Frances Faye Erea Hager. While a student in junior high, he established his first publication, the ''Cap'n Crunch Courier'', a humor

xerox Xerox Holdings Corporation (; also known simply as Xerox) is an American corporation that sells print and electronic document, digital document products and services in more than 160 countries. Xerox is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut (ha ...

zine A zine ( ; short for '' magazine'' or '' fanzine'') is a small-circulation self-published work of original or appropriated texts and images, usually reproduced via a copy machine. Zines are the product of either a single person or of a very s ...

that was given away free. Two years later, while a student at Urbana High School, he created ''The Tin Whistle'', a monthly newspaper that was eventually distributed in four high schools in Central

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

. Hager briefly visited

Haight-Ashbury Haight-Ashbury () is a district of San Francisco, California, named for the intersection of Haight and Ashbury streets. It is also called The Haight and The Upper Haight. The neighborhood is known as one of the main centers of the counterculture ...

in 1968, and the following year he attended the first

Woodstock Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock. Billed as "an Aq ...

festival. He obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater (Playwriting), and a Masters of Science in

Journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the " news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (pro ...

, both from the

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univ ...

Early career

After graduation, Hager moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, and worked for a number of magazines before becoming a reporter for the '' New York Daily News''.

Hip hop journalist

During this time, he began researching the hip-hop movement of the South Bronx. His first article on this subculture was published in 1982 on the cover of the ''

Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the cr ...

'', and was the first time the words "hip hop" appeared in a major publication. Hager based his article on interviews with Afrika Bambaataa, founder of the

Universal Zulu Nation The Universal Zulu Nation is an international hip hop awareness group formed by and formerly led by hip hop artist Afrika Bambaataa. The Universal Zulu Nation promotes the idea that hip-hop was created to sustain the ideals of “peace, love ...

, and one of the three original hip hop

DJs A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile ...

(the others being

Kool Herc Clive Campbell (born April 16, 1955), better known by his stage name DJ Kool Herc, is a Jamaican-American DJ who is credited with contributing to the development of hip hop music in the Bronx, New York City, in the 1970s through his "Back to ...

and Grandmaster Flash). Not too long afterward, Hager sold his original story, "The Perfect Beat," to

Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927) is an American singer, activist, and actor. As arguably the most successful Jamaican-American pop star, he popularized the Trinbagonian Caribbean musical style with an interna ...

, who took some elements from it, including the subject and some of the characters' names, to produce the film ''

Beat Street ''Beat Street'' is a 1984 American drama dance film featuring New York City hip hop culture of the early 1980s. Set in the South Bronx, the film follows the lives of a pair of brothers and their group of friends, all of whom are devoted to ...

'', released by Orion Pictures in 1984. In 1984,

St. Martin's Press St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, in the Equitable Building. St. Martin's Press is considered one of the largest English-language publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under si ...

released Hager's groundbreaking book, ''Hip Hop: The Illustrated History of Break Dancing, Rap Music, and Graffiti''. Hager followed that book in 1986 with ''Art After Midnight'', an examination of the New York nightclub scene and its influence on artists, primarily Jean-Michel Basquiat,

Keith Haring Keith Allen Haring (May 4, 1958 – February 16, 1990) was an American artist whose pop art emerged from the New York City graffiti subculture of the 1980s. His animated imagery has "become a widely recognized visual language". Much of his wor ...

and

Kenny Scharf Kenny Scharf (born November 23, 1958) is an American painter known for his participation in New York City's interdisciplinary East Village art scene during the 1980s, alongside Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring. Scharf's do-it-yourself pract ...

. (The entire text of ''Art After Midnight'', including the much-quoted Basquiat interview, was reprinted in Hager's 2002 book ''Adventures in the Counterculture'', as well as his 2005 book ''The Octopus Conspiracy and Other Vignettes of the Counterculture: From Hippies to High Times to Hip-Hop and Beyond''.)

''High Times''

In 1988, Hager began a long relationship with ''

'' magazine, as he was hired as the magazine's editor-in-chief. He is most well-known for removing positive coverage of hard drugs (e.g.,

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Ameri ...

and heroin) from the magazine, and instead concentrating on advocating for the personal cultivation of

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: '' Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternative ...

. Hager became the first editor to publish and promote the work of hemp activist

Jack Herer Jack Herer (; June 18, 1939 – April 15, 2010), sometimes called the "Emperor of Hemp", was an American cannabis rights activist and the author of ''The Emperor Wears No Clothes''. Herer founded and served as the director of the organization H ...

.Cizmar, Martin
"The Story of One of the Greatest Cannabis Advocates Who Ever Lived and the Strain That Bears His Name: With the closure of Third Eye, the Potlander wanted to revisit the life of Jack Herer,"
''

Willamette Week ''Willamette Week'' (''WW'') is an alternative weekly newspaper and a website published in Portland, Oregon, United States, since 1974. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business, and culture. History Early history ''Willame ...

'' (April 18, 2017). Under Hager's leadership, ''High Times'' created the

Cannabis Cup The ''High Times'' Cannabis Cup is a cannabis festival sponsored by ''High Times'' magazine. The event features judges from around the world who sample and vote for their favorite marijuana varieties, with cups (trophies) being awarded to the ove ...

, a cannabis awards ceremony held every

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden ...

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

; and The High Times Freedom Fighters, the first hemp

legalization Legalization is the process of removing a legal prohibition against something which is currently not legal. Legalization is a process often applied to what are regarded, by those working towards legalization, as victimless crimes, of which one ...

group. The High Times Freedom Fighters were famous for dressing up in

Colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...

outfits and organizing hemp rallies across the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. One rally, The Boston Freedom Rally, quickly became the largest political event in the country, drawing an audience of over 100,000 to the

Boston Common The Boston Common (also known as the Common) is a public park in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest city park in the United States. Boston Common consists of of land bounded by Tremont Street (139 Tremont St.), Park Street, Beac ...

. Hager created a garage rock revival band called the Soul Assassins. The band played many of the hemp rallies. Their biggest show was opening for the Butthole Surfers in front of 50,000 people in

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

. As editor, Hager brought on a friend from high school, Jim Wilson, to become a columnist for ''High Times''. Wilson became known as Chef Ra and contributed a cooking-with-pot article in every issue of the magazine for 15 years. Chef Ra was also a member of the High Times Freedom Fighters and became the featured speaker at many of the rallies. In 1990, Hager became the first person outside Marin County, California to promote

420 420 may refer to: * 420 (number) *420 (cannabis culture), informal reference to cannabis use and celebrations on April 20 ** California Senate Bill 420 or the Medical Marijuana Program Act *AD 420, a year in the 5th century of the Julian calendar * ...

; as a result, subsequent Freedom Fighter councils, Cannabis Cup ceremonies, and Whee! festivals were always scheduled for 4:20 PM. In September 1991, Hager wrote an article in ''High Times'' titled "Heritage of Stone," a comprehensive analysis of the

assassination of John F. Kennedy John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was assassinated on Friday, November 22, 1963, at 12:30 p.m. CST in Dallas, Texas, while riding in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza. Kennedy was in the vehicle with ...

that has been widely circulated on the Internet as a definitive article on the subject. The article indicated Kennedy was likely murdered because of his growing opposition to the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

, and implicated

J. Edgar Hoover John Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) was an American law enforcement administrator who served as the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He was appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation � ...

and Allen Dulles in the cover-up. Judge

Jim Garrison James Carothers Garrison (born Earling Carothers Garrison; November 20, 1921 – October 21, 1992) was the District Attorney of Orleans Parish, Louisiana, from 1962 to 1973. A member of the Democratic Party, he is best known for his investigat ...

cited it as "the best magazine article ever written on the subject." Hager created the

Counterculture Hall of Fame The Counterculture Hall of Fame, managed by ''High Times'' magazine, is a hall of fame primarily dedicated to celebrating the counterculture and the people who helped shape it. The hall was created in 1997 by ''High Times'' editor Steven Hager. I ...

in 1997 as part of the Cannabis Cup ceremonies. In the mid-1990s, Hager turned the membership list of the Freedom Fighters over to the

National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML ) is a social welfare organization based in Washington, D.C., that advocates for the reform of marijuana laws in the United States regarding both medical and non-medical use. Ac ...

(NORML), and began concentrating on creating events that advocated the environmental benefits of hemp while also demonstrating the spiritual uses of cannabis. The World Hemp Expo Extravaganja, or WHEE! Festivals, were held in

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

, New York, and

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. Unfortunately, most of the promoters who held Whee! festivals found themselves subject to intense law enforcement efforts to shut down their venues. The primary focus of Whee! was a silent, Sunday, sunset meditation for peace in the

war on drugs The war on drugs is a global campaign, led by the United States federal government, of drug prohibition, military aid, and military intervention, with the aim of reducing the illegal drug trade in the United States.Cockburn and St. Clair, 1 ...

. During this period, Hager was contacted by the Waldos, the inventors of 420, and became the first person to interview them. Hager was fired as ''High Times'' editor-in-chief in 2003.Bloom, Steve
"My 30+ Years in Cannabis: From High Times to CelebStoner,"
''CelebStoner'' (September 5, 2020). His 2004 book, ''The Octopus Conspiracy and Other Vignettes of the Counterculture: From Hippies to High Times to Hip-Hop and Beyond'', compiles some of his previously published work; the chapter "Nomenclature of an Octopus Cabal" theorizes that a network of secret societies manufactures war for profit and social control. By 2005, Hager was rehired at ''High Times'', first as the

creative director A creative director (or creative supervisor) is a person who makes high-level creative decisions and, with those decisions, oversees the creation of creative assets such as advertisements, products, events, or logos. Creative director positions ar ...

, and then in 2006, back in the position of editor-in-chief, but by 2009 had returned to the role of creative director. He was again let go by the magazine in 2013, eventually suing ''High Times'' for defrauding him of his ownership shares in the company.

Documentary film work

Hager learned to shoot and edit video, and started documenting all research on videotape. He has produced several feature documentaries, including ''Let Freedom Ring'', ''Secrets of the Dutch Grow Masters'', ''The Cannabis Cup'', ''Saint Stephen'', ''The

Tom Forcade Thomas King Forçade (September 11, 1945 – November 17, 1978), also known as Gary Goodson, was an American underground journalist and cannabis rights activist in the 1970s. For many years he ran the Underground Press Syndicate (later called t ...

Story'', and ''The 20th Cannabis Cup'', assembling one of the world's largest archives of cannabis-related video. In 2002 he directed the video shoot that was later released as '' Live in Amsterdam''. In 2004, he wrote most of the narration for ''

a/k/a Tommy Chong ''a/k/a Tommy Chong'' is a 2006 documentary film written, produced, and directed by Josh Gilbert, that chronicles the Drug Enforcement Administration raid on comedian Tommy Chong's house and his subsequent jail sentence for trafficking in illegal ...

'', and also appears in the film. Hager appeared in Episode #12 ("Pittsburgh") of the Showtime series '' Weeds'', playing himself at an event modeled on the Cannabis Cup. In 2007, he produced a

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early ...

show based around his job at ''High Times'' magazine. Hager appears in the 2013 film ''420: The Documentary'' and provides the history of the phrase and its ceremonial use, as well as his role in spreading awareness on the spiritual aspects of cannabis. On April 19, 2021, Hager released his first film in 13 years, ''Green Easter''.

Later activities

In 2014 Hager created Abakus Media in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, published the ebook ''Cannabis Cures Cancer?'', and founded the religious organization the Pot Illuminati. His essay "The New Pot Enlightenment" was included in the 2016 book ''Cannabis and Spirituality: An Explorer's Guide to an Ancient Plant Spirit Ally''. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, Hager created a

podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosin ...

titled ''Everything You Know is Twisted''."Everything You Know is Twisted,"
PodBean. Retrieved Dec. 23, 2022.

Bibliography

* ''Hip Hop: The Illustrated History of Break Dancing, Rap Music, and Graffiti'' (St. Martin's Press, 1984;

Smashwords Smashwords, Inc., based in Los Gatos, California, is a platform for self-publishing e-books. The company, founded by Mark Coker, began public operation in 2008. Authors and independent publishers upload their manuscripts as electronic files t ...

, 2012; Amazon 2014) * ''Art After Midnight: The East Village Scene'' (St. Martin's Press, 1986; Smashwords, 2012; Amazon, 2014) * ''Adventures in the Counterculture: From Hip Hop to High Times'' (High Times Books, 2002) * ''The Octopus Conspiracy: And Other Vignettes of the Counterculture from Hippies to High Times to Hip Hop and Beyond'' (Trine Day, 2005) * ''Looking for the Perfect Beat'' (Smashwords, 2012) * ''Cannabis Cures Cancer?'' (30 pp., 2014) * ''The Bitcoin Revolution'' (Smashwords, 2014; Amazon 2014) * ''Killing Lincoln: The Real Story'' (

CreateSpace On-Demand Publishing, LLC, doing business as CreateSpace, is a self-publishing service owned by Amazon. The company was founded in 2000 in South Carolina as BookSurge and was acquired by Amazon in 2005. History CreateSpace publishes books cont ...

, 2014) * ''Hip Hop: The Complete Archives'' (CreateSpace, 2014) * ''Killing Kennedy: The Real Story'' (Smashwords, CreateSpace 2017)

Filmography

* ''

'' ( Orion Pictures, 1984; story credit) * ''Chef Ra Escapes Babylon'' (High Times Productions, 1989; consultant) * ''Let Freedom Ring'' (High Times Productions, 1990; producer) * ''8th Cannabis Cup'' (High Times Productions, 1995; producer) * ''9th Cannabis Cup'' (High Times Productions, 1996; producer) * ''11th Cannabis Cup'' (High Times Productions, 1999; producer/director/editor) * ''Grow Secrets of the Dutch Masters'' (High Times Productions, 2000; producer/director/editor) * ''High Times Presents the Cannabis Cup'' (Koch Vision, 2003; producer, director, writer) * '' Live in Amsterdam'' (High Times Records, 2005; director) * ''

'' (Blue Chief Entertainment, 2006; co-writer; subject in film) * ''Miss High Times Swimsuit Video'' (High Times Productions, 2008; producer) * ''High Times Presents the 20th Anniversary Cannabis Cup'' (High Times Productions, 2008; producer) * ''420-The Documentary'' (Harm Reduction Productions, 2014; subject in film; consultant) * '' Grass Is Greener'' (

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

; 2019; subject in film; consultant) * ''When World's Collide'' (Green Hummingbird Entertainment, 2020; audio interviews with Basquait, Scharf, and Haring) * ''Green Easter'' (Zero Budget Productions, 2021, 68-minute documentary) * ''History of 4/20 in 3 Acts'' (Pot Illuminati Productions, 2022, 26-minute documentary)

References

External links

Hager's blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hager, Steven 1951 births American cannabis activists American conspiracy theorists Living people Writers from Urbana, Illinois