Just received this update about Josh Kesselman of HBI
Hilary Morse of Trailblaze sent the following on behalf of Rebublic Brands
The U.S. Court of Appeals has upheld a nationwide permanent injunction against RAW® maker HBI International for deceptive marketing practices.
The ruling stems from a case brought by Republic Brands and affirms a jury’s finding that HBI and founder Josh Kesselman—dubbed the “Pinocchio of Pot” by Forbes—misled consumers with false claims ranging from charitable affiliations to product composition. Among them:
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Promoting a fake charity, the so-called “RAW Foundation”
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Falsely claiming papers are made in Alcoy, Spain
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Misleading packaging about being “unrefined” and made with “natural hemp gum”
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Alleging use of wind power in manufacturing
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Claiming Kesselman invented the rolling paper cone
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Marketing RAW organic hemp papers as the world’s first and only
The Court rejected HBI’s attempt to limit the injunction to Illinois—making clear the company’s dishonesty is a national issue requiring a nationwide remedy. Additional details can be found in today’s announcement
Here’s the full press release
Decision Affirms Initial Ruling that Josh Kesselman Violated the Illinois Uniform Deceptive Trade Practice Act
GLENVIEW, Ill., June 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — In a sweeping rebuke of deceptive marketing, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit has upheld a nationwide permanent injunction against RAW® Rolling Papers maker HBI International. The ruling affirms the jury’s finding that HBI and its founder Josh Kesselman misled consumers with false claims about its products. Rejecting HBI’s attempt to limit the injunction to Illinois, the Court made clear: HBI’s dishonesty is a national problem requiring a nationwide remedy.
This punitive injunction resulted from a case brought by global rolling paper category leader Republic Brands, in which a jury found that HBI did violate the Illinois Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act and engaged in unfair competition in marketing RAW® rolling papers.
In upholding the injunction, court documents point out that HBI and RAW have shown “a proclivity to attempt to evade court order.” The documents further explain that “by mandating that HBI verify the accuracy of its factual statements—or otherwise use opinions—the district court crafted a remedy that it reasonably believed would deter future violations that it could “fairly” anticipate from HBI’s conduct.”
The HBI marketing strategies that prompted the nationwide permanent injunction included a series of claims that Republic Brands successfully argued were not accurate:
- A portion of profits from RAW products goes to the non-existent “RAW Foundation,” which uses those funds to save lives worldwide
- RAW organic hemp papers are made in Alcoy, Spain
- RAW organic papers are made with natural hemp gum
- RAW organic hemp papers are the “world’s first” or “world’s only” organic hemp rolling papers
- RAW organic hemp papers are made using wind power
- RAW organic hemp papers are “unrefined”
- HBI’s owner, Josh Kesselman, invented rolling paper “cones”
“This is more than a win for Republic Brands. It’s a win for all rolling paper consumers who expect and deserve truth in advertising from the brands they purchase,” said Republic Brands CEO Don Levin. “As the world’s largest manufacturer of rolling papers and smoking accessories, we take our role as leaders seriously. We’ll continue to fight for a level playing field where all parties act in good faith and engage in honest marketing and advertising practices.”
About Republic Brands®
The world’s leading rolling company, Republic Brands® holds the most extensive portfolio in the category including (OCB®, JOB®, e-z wider®, DRUM®, Premier®, Gambler®, and TOP® brands. Republic Brands is part of a family-owned company that is known for innovations such as sustainable bamboo, hemp and flax fiber papers and cones, its natural acacia gum, and internationally recognized ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 and GMP standards.
