High Times Editor-in-Chief Javier Hasse took home “International Journalist of the Year” at the third annual Business of Cannabis Awards in London, edging out a field of nominees from publications across Europe and beyond. The recognition follows a year of expanded global coverage at the magazine.
High Times Editor-in-Chief Javier Hasse was named International Journalist of the Year at the Business of Cannabis Awards 2026, held this week in London after the close of Cannabis Europa London at the Barbican.
The award, presented at 83 Rivington and hosted by Romana Testasecca, recognizes “the journalist delivering outstanding international cannabis coverage, driving informed discourse, and shaping global understanding of the industry.” This year’s edition drew nearly 250 entries from eight countries, the largest pool in the awards’ three-year history.
Hasse was selected from a field of nominees that included Lukas Hurt of Magazine Konopi, Aurélien Bernard of Newsweed, João Costa of Cannareporter, Moritz Förster of Krautinvest, Liam O’Dowd of Leafie, Jodie Yettram, and Sara Payan of the Planted with Sara Payan Podcast. Special mentions in the category went to Yettram for her coverage of the cannabis sector in Jersey, and Bernard for his independent reporting on the European cannabis industry.
No award like this belongs to one person. It belongs to the editors, writers, colleagues, collaborators, photographers, sources, readers and teams that make the work possible day after day.
Javier Hasse
Hasse leads High Times alongside his roles as CEO and co-founder of El Planteo, the Spanish-language cannabis and psychedelics media platform, and co-founder of IgniteIt. He has been a senior contributor at Forbes since 2019, covering cannabis and psychedelics, and is the author of two books, published by Hachette’s Sheldon Press and Entrepreneur Media. He was previously named Cannabis Journalist of the Year at the 2024 Emjays International Cannabis Awards.
“To my teams at High Times, El Planteo and IgniteIt: thank you for building with me, pushing with me and believing in the work even when the pace gets a little insane,” Hasse said in a public statement after the ceremony. “And to the people who trusted me with their stories, especially when it wasn’t easy, thank you most of all.”
The ceremony also marked the introduction of the inaugural Hannah Deacon Award, presented by MP Tonia Antoniazzi to Carola Pérez of Dos Emociones and We, The Patients. Created in memory of one of the sector’s most respected patient advocates, the award set the tone for an evening focused on advocacy and reform.
The Business of Cannabis Awards are organized annually by Prohibition Partners and Cannabis Europa. Other winners this year included Curaleaf Clinic UK (Cannabis Clinic of the Year), Curaleaf Laboratories (Cannabis Team of the Year), Bloomwell Group (Consumer Technology Provider of the Year), VIST Labs (AgriTech Provider of the Year), Village Farms International (Producer of the Year), Curaleaf International (European Company of the Year), Niklas Kouparanis of Bloomwell Group (Business Leader of the Year), and Nicole Farah of Americana PR (Industry Rising Star). The full list of winners is available on Business of Cannabis.
Disclosure: Javier Hasse is High Times’ editor-in-chief.
