Josh Kesselman, founder of HBI Innovations (formerly BBK Tobacco & Foods, LLP dba HBI International), has announced RAW®’s latest victory at the 2nd International Cannabis Awards. HBI Innovations is an independent provider of high-quality rolling papers, cones, and other smoking accessories.

RAW® rolling papers won in two separate categories - Best World Wide winner and USA winner. The virtual event brought together leaders in the cannabis industry from across the world. The International Cannabis Awards celebrate excellence in cannabis cultivation, breeding, technology, and vape devices, and recognize industry leaders who are setting new standards and driving innovation.

RAW® won its category with more than double the votes of the Second Place finisher. The 2025 ICAs were developed using a fully transparent, two-phase nomination and voting process. Worldwide Winner By Percentage of Votes Received (Official Records of Voting 2025 by the ICA): Rolling Papers Category: RAW | 1 | 44.54%

“Our goal is to make the best rolling papers in the history of smoking and I think we did it!,” Josh Kesselman said in a press release. “It feels great to know that the market agrees with me, and it’s an honor to serve them! This award is especially significant this year, as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of RAW. Together we changed the world from an ocean of ‘bleached and boring’ papers to a more rawsomeway to roll! We all get higher together!”

This latest victory for RAW® further solidifies its position as a leader in the rolling paper and smoking accessories industry. As the brand celebrates its 20th anniversary, this recognition underscores the impact RAW® and Kesselman have had on the smoking community. The company remains dedicated to delivering premium products while staying true to its mission of enhancing the rolling experience.

More information on RAW® and its full range of products can be found at https://rawthentic.com/.

Email: Email Contact

Website: https://rawthentic.com/

SOURCE: Asha Media Group

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The International Cannabis Awards (ICA) — an event that has quickly become a cornerstone for recognition within the global cannabis community, held its 2025 ICAs honoring the best and brightest in the cannabis industry from across the USA and Europe, is pleased to announce this year’s winners.

For its second year, the ICA was a highlight of the biggest cannabis week in Europe, Spannabis, and celebrated excellence in cannabis cultivation, breeding, technology, and vape devices, and recognized industry leaders who are setting new standards and driving innovation. Categories included and honored the Best in Nutrients, VAPE Hardware, Lighting, Portable Vape Equipment, Online Seed Shop, Rolling Papers, Seed Bank/Breeder, Cultivation, Ventilation Company, Excellence in Cultivation & Extraction Technology, Social Justice, Global Cannabis Advocate, Cannabis Trailblazer, Social Content Creator, Clones & Tissue Culture Nursery, Cannabis Journalist, International Woman of the Year, Glass Distribution Company, Podcast, and Cannabis Trade Publication.

“The ICA's virtual format for 2025 allowed for a more inclusive and global celebration, reflecting the industry's adaptability and unity,” says ICA founder Dani Walton, “and we are honored to recognize the trailblazers who are setting new standards in the cannabis industry. Their contributions are pivotal in shaping the future of cannabis, and we celebrate their commitment to innovation and quality."

Walton notes that the 2026 ICAs will be an in-person event held in Europe next April. “This will mark a significant opportunity for the global cannabis community to connect, share knowledge, and celebrate excellence face-to-face at a beautiful awards ceremony,” she says. “The event will provide a platform for deeper collaboration, networking, and visibility for the industry’s most influential voices.”

The 2025 ICAs were developed using a fully transparent, two-phase nomination and voting process, engaging cannabis enthusiasts and professionals worldwide, culminating in today's announcement of the winners.

For more information about the awards and a complete list of winners, please visit the official ICA website: https://internationalcannabisawards.com/

About the International Cannabis Awards (ICA)

The International Cannabis Awards (the ICA) is dedicated to recognizing and celebrating excellence within the global cannabis industry. Founded in 2024 in the heart of the California cannabis community in Northern California by cannabis entrepreneur Dani Walton, the ICA aims to inspire continued innovation and growth, fostering a vibrant and responsible cannabis community globally. Now in its third year, ICA has partnered with Planta Sur and BBG Projects, recognized as market leaders in the EU.

About Dani Walton

Dani Walton is a highly accomplished cannabis expert and entrepreneur hailing from the Bay Area. With an impressive track record spanning over 20 years, Dani has amassed a wealth of experience in the cannabis industry and in 2024 decided to leverage her experience and network to create the ICA, an event that honors the achievements of businesses, individuals, and organizations, who support and help lead the industry around the world.

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Blimburn Seeds, a leader in cannabis seed and clone genetics and distribution with over 20 years of history, is thrilled to announce a new partnership with internationally renowned cannabis activist and advocate, Steve DeAngelo. As Blimburn Seeds’ new Global Ambassador, Steve will work to promote Blimburn’s mission and educate consumers worldwide on the sustainable, health-focused benefits of home-grown cannabis.

Originally founded in Barcelona, Blimburn Seeds has become a trusted name in cannabis, distributing seeds and clones that serve the diverse needs of cannabis cultivators globally. Now, the company is turning its focus to expanding Blimburn USA with the opening of the NY Warehouse and establishing a stronger footprint in the American market. With Steve DeAngelo’s unparalleled industry experience and influence, this partnership will support Blimburn’s mission to make cannabis cultivation accessible, safe, and sustainable in all states and countries where it’s legal.

“We’re honored to welcome Steve DeAngelo as our Global Ambassador,” said Sergio Martinez, CEO of Blimburn Seeds. “Steve is an icon in the cannabis community, and his lifelong commitment to cannabis reform and education aligns perfectly with Blimburn’s vision. Together, we look forward to empowering individuals to experience the rewards of home-growing, not only for their health but also for our planet.”

Steve DeAngelo, co-founder of Harborside and founder of the Last Prisoner Project, and widely regarded as the “father of the legal cannabis industry,” is excited to join forces with Blimburn Seeds. “The cannabis you grow yourself is always the best cannabis, but you need good genetics and knowledge. Blimburn’s commitment to high-quality genetics, customer service, and education is unmatched,” said DeAngelo. “Home-growing offers a sustainable, personal way to experience cannabis, and it should be legal in every state. I look forward to working with Blimburn to encourage, empower and defend home growers.”

Through this partnership, Steve DeAngelo will lobby for home growers rights, attend major industry events, and use his platform to share the benefits of home-growing with Blimburn’s expanding U.S. audience. His advocacy will center on ensuring that the right to grow at home is a part of all state and federal regulations.

About Blimburn Seeds

Founded in Barcelona, Spain in 2002, Blimburn Seeds is a pioneer in global cannabis seed and clone distribution with a mission to provide the highest-quality seeds for both commercial and home growers worldwide. With a focus on education and sustainability, Blimburn Seeds empowers growers to cultivate cannabis responsibly and successfully. For more information about Blimburn Seeds and its partnership with Steve DeAngelo, please visit www.blimburnseeds.com.

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The International Cannabis Awards (ICA) is thrilled to announce the 2025 ICA Virtual Awards, a one-of-a-kind online event that celebrates the achievements and innovations driving the cannabis industry forward globally. This year’s fully virtual awards ceremony will bring together an impressive lineup of top brands, distributors, breeders, and other cannabis industry pioneers for an engaging, interactive experience designed to recognize and inspire the global cannabis community.

How It Works

This year's ICA Awards invites industry enthusiasts and experts to participate in a two-phase nomination and voting process, accessible from anywhere in the world:

1. Nominations (Open until December 16): We invite you to nominate your favorite cannabis brands, wholesale distributors, seed banks, vape devices, and innovators. Simply fill out our online form and help shine a spotlight on the very best in cannabis.

2. Voting (Begins December 16): Once nominations close, we’ll announce a shortlist of nominees. Use our secure online platform to cast your votes and influence next year’s winners.

• Nominate a company: Ends December 16, 2024

• Voting begins: December 16, 2024

• First Round Closes: February 28, 2025 (Top 6 nominees advance)

• Final Results Announced: March 14, 2025

• Public Winners Reveal: March 15, 2025

Enhancing Winner Visibility All Year

In partnership with our media collaborators, ICA is dedicated to amplifying winners’ success well beyond the awards. Our 2025 initiatives include:

• Dedicated Winner Profiles: Each winner will have a profile on a special media page featuring photos, interviews, and links to connect audiences with their stories.

• Monthly Winner Spotlights: Our “Winner of the Month” series will feature one winner per month, showcasing their progress and achievements since the awards.

• Interactive Winner Badges: Digital award badges will include QR codes or links to the winners’ profiles, driving visibility and engagement.

• Quarterly Recap Publications: Quarterly publications in digital and print will feature updates on winners, keeping their achievements in the public eye.

• Co-Marketing with Winners: Collaborative blog posts, videos, and social media features will boost engagement, providing winners with greater exposure and connecting them with the ICA audience.

About International Cannabis Awards (ICA):

Founded in Barcelona, Spain in 2023. Join us for the ICA Virtual Awards 2025 and be part of an event that honors outstanding contributions in the cannabis industry. Visit www.internationalcannabisawards.com for more information and follow us on Instagram at @internationalcannaawards to stay updated.

Contact: For press inquiries, please contact Email Contact.

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Denver author Josiah Hesse is bringing his cannabis-fueled Haunted Writer’s Retreat back for another week of macabre literary wonder, this time at the notoriously spectral bed and breakfast, The Patterson Inn, widely regarded as the most haunted building in all of Colorado.

After the successful debut of his conceptual creative writing retreat at the serial-killer themed Black Monarch Hotel in the ghost town of Victor, Colorado, Hesse is bringing his gothic literary adventure to Denver’s historic Capitol Hill neighborhood, where the tortured ghosts of yesteryear will whisper blood-curdling tales in the ears of those brave enough to write them down.

Spanning three nights and four days, the retreat will include walking tours of Capitol Hill’s most haunted buildings, four creative writing classes, a presentation on Stephen King’s Colorado legacy (along with nightly screenings of King classics like The Shining and Misery) daily brunch provided by the Patterson Inn, along with a swag bag of various cannabis products.

And, of course, guests will have as many undisturbed hours of quiet writing in their rooms as they like—assuming the troubled spirits that haunt the building don’t keep them up all night.

Josiah Hesse is an author and journalist from Denver, Colorado, whose work has appeared in Vice, Esquire, Politico, and The Guardian. Hesse casts a wide net in his journalistic curiosities, covering everything from science, crime and politics, to pop culture, the arts, sex and drugs. After a decade of covering the slow-burn legalization of marijuana, Hesse wrote Runner’s High: How A Movement of Cannabis-Fueled Athletes Is Changing The Science of Sports, released on Putnam in 2021, which Kirkus Reviews called “an eye-opening and potentially mind-expanding read for runners and stoners alike, not to mention the culturally curious.”

Hesse is the author of the psychological horror novel series, Carnality, which the Colorado Independent called “a terrifying mix of childhood nostalgia, nightmarish surrealism, and pop history. Hesse traces the lines between revolutionary, drug-addled ‘60s subculture, and the right wing, evangelical movement that has defined the last 50 years of political strife in the United States.”

His memoir, On Fire For God: Fear, Shame and Poverty In The Christian Right, will be released on Pantheon in 2025.

Based on a sixteenth-century French castle, The Patterson Inn building was constructed in 1890, yet vacated by its first owner six months after moving in, believing the structure was cursed following the death of his mother. The second occupant of the home, Rocky Mountain News editor Thomas Patterson, also died in the home; many have claimed to see him, and his wife, Kathryn, roaming the halls at night.

The building spent many years closed to the public, before being converted into a bed & breakfast. Since then, guests have reported hearing a distant conversation of Irish voices (the two earliest families inhabiting the building were of Irish descent) the sound of a baby crying alongside a distraught woman (it is rumored a baby died in the Patterson and was buried in the basement by its grieving mother) and the sound of dogs barking.

The apparition of barking dogs comes from the widely reported tale from 1973, wherein a pair of Dobermans both jumped through a third story window at the same time, each plunging to their death on the pavement below. What the dogs could have seen that frightened them to this extent has been the source of wild speculation over the years, particularly when the Patterson was featured on Jack Osborne’s ghost-hunting TV show, Portals to Hell.

The Patterson Inn was granted the very first “cannabis hospitality license” in the city of Denver, and aims to have its new “cannabis lounge” open by December.

Tickets to the Haunted Writer’s Retreat will cost $500 per person for the week, plus a room at the Patterson Inn (couples or friends are welcome to share a room together). More booking information is available at the Patterson Inn website.

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The first-ever CannaCup competition for female-only-led cannabis brands will officially commence on July 24, 2022, inside the California State Fair’s Cannabis Expo. The CannaCup is powered by the Cannagram Delivery platform and is held to recognize hard work, effort, and dedication as well as highlight the challenges women-led brands face in the California market. To attend the awards celebration, please visit the state fair’s website at calexpostatefair.com/info/tickets/.

The Women’s CannaCup was founded by a committee of nine industry veterans in an effort to provide a space for women founders and creators to come together and call attention to the products and brands that female innovators have brought to patients and the adult-use market throughout California. Eleven Categories will cover everything from flower to beverages and will be judged by volunteer consumer and celebrity judges from throughout the industry.

The founding committee is led by Manndie Tingler, Cynthia Salarizadeh, Kelley Usborn, Adelia Carrillo, Grace Lahlouh, Judy Yee, Tiffany Watkins, Julie Chiariello, and Chelsea Mulligan. Each committee member is assisting with the goal of advancing women-led brands and founders.

“This cup was created to highlight the talent and exceptional innovation that female-founded brands in the cannabis industry exhibit,” explained Manndie Tingler, Co-founder of Women’s CannaCup and Partner/CMO of Cannagram. “Our industry was once hailed as one of the most progressive and advanced in female leadership with over 36% representation and has since slipped to 22%. We seek to utilize this platform as a way to expose more patients, consumers, and communities to the women-led brands that exist here in California. We hope to inspire more women to start businesses in all categories and more consumers for female-founded brands.”

In addition to the cup results that the ceremony will boast, five awards will be given to individuals and brands that advance female entrepreneurs or exhibit unique contributions to the industry. The categories include the Fearless Female Leadership Award, Most Inspirational Brand, Most Supportive Male, Social Impact Award, and the Most Environmentally Conscious Award.

About Women’s CannaCup:

The Women’s CannaCup was established in 2022 as the first cannabis industry competition focused solely on women-led brands operating throughout California. The awards ceremony will take place at California State Fair’s Cannabis Expo. The cup will award consumers’ favorite brands founded and formulated by women. To see who wins, follow us on Instagram @womenscannacup_official or visit our website at cannagram.com/womenscannacup.

About CannaGram:

CannaGram is a cannabis delivery service located in Sacramento, California, which specializes in providing a high-end online customer shopping experience with top-of-the-line customer service and the best brands in the industry, at the best prices! They carry award-winning legacy cannabis brands customers love like Kiva, Connected, Alien Labs, Cream of the Crop, Wyld, Khemia, Cann, House of Saka, Uncle Arnies, and more. CannaGram is your headquarters for the biggest selection of cannabis beverages in California. Visit CannaGram.com to place an order or visit us on Instagram @cannagramdelivers.

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