“Believing in yourself is important—but once in a while, you gotta have someone else see that fire your mind is envisioning… and when they do… when those two worlds collide—that’s when magic happens.”
I wrote those words from a place of scars and second chances, where hope was a flicker I fought to keep alive. My life’s been a wild ride—prison, meth, betrayal, redemption. It sounds like fiction, but I lived it. I’m still living it. They called me a failure, a criminal, a lost cause in Mitchell, South Dakota. But I’m still here, burning brighter than ever, because a few rare souls saw the fire in me when the world saw only ashes.
This isn’t just about cannabis. It’s about resurrection. It’s about being seen.
To Javier Hasse, Editor-in-Chief of High Times, I was just another email in a crowded inbox—a felon with a dream, pitching a story from the margins. But your response? It was a fucking lightning bolt: “Thanks again for your trust and for sharing this with me. I’m really looking forward to finding the right way to bring your voice into the pages of High Times.” Those 31 words weren’t just kind—they were a war cry. Tears streamed down my face as I typed a reply, not from pain, but from the shock of being recognized. Not as a rap sheet. Not a punchline. But a man with a story that could set the world ablaze.
Javier, you may never know the weight of your words. That fire was already burning in me, but your belief? That was gasoline, pouring straight into my soul. Whether I ever grace High Times’ pages or not, you gave me something no one can take away: validation that my voice matters.
To Pitbull Acres, you could’ve treated Bennett Production like just another transaction. Laughed at us like so many others did. Instead, you hired us. You bet on us. You opened your hearts, your family, proving the cannabis community is more than buds and business—it’s a goddamn lifeline for the broken. When the world chewed me up and spit me out, you saw potential where others saw garbage. You didn’t just give me a job—you gave me a purpose. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
The cannabis community EVERYWHERE!!! You’re my backbone, my blood. This plant, vilified for decades, didn’t just save me—it armed me. It gave me a voice when the world tried to silence me. From the ashes of addiction and incarceration, I built Bennett Production—a testament to resilient creativity and unstoppable passion. Every hemp shirt we design, every story we tell, carries the spirit of this community that refused to let me fade.
I don’t know if I’ll ever make it to High Times’ glossy pages. To some, that’s a small dream. To me? It’s so much bigger—a chance to scream my truth to a world that wrote me off. But even if those pages never carry my name, I’ll die proud. Because for one moment, Javier saw me. Pitbull Acres believed in me. The cannabis nation lifted me.
To every dreamer reading this, told you’re too broken, too loud, too late: you’re right on fucking time. Your fire matters. Keep burning until someone sees it. And when they do? That collision of belief will spark magic.
“Those words of Javier’s are about to birth a revolution—from a man no one believed in… everyone counted out… most gave up on. But a few, like the amazing people at Pitbull Acres and Javier, saw the light. And when people believe in something as fiercely as you do… that’s when magic happens.”
This is my story. This is Bennett Production. And we’re just getting started.
Here’s to the dreamers who burn through their chains.
Here’s to the cannabis community—my family, my fire.
Here’s to the revolution we’re writing, one spark at a time.
Forever lit,
Aaron Bradley Cooper
Founder & CEO, Bennett Production
Mitchell, South Dakota
Resilient Creativity. Unstoppable Passion.
If you want to submit your letter to the editor, email [email protected]
