The addition of former Mexico President Vicente Fox to the board of High Times brings "credibility" to the cannabis culture company.
That's according to CEO Adam Levin, who joined Cheddar for an interview on Tuesday.
"You have that stoner stereotype," Levin said. "President Fox has been a great advocate of cannabis and legalization across the world. And as we go into more and more markets, hopefully \[he\] will be a strong advocate for the company and legalization in general."
Fox, who served as president of Mexico from 2000 to 2006, has argued that broad legalization of marijuana will reduce the impact of drug cartels and also create jobs and lead to medical advancements. He's also lobbied to include cannabis in the North American Free Trade Agreement, saying it should not be treated as a "criminal issue."
He's not the first high-profile ex-politician to team up with a cannabis company this year. Investment firm Acreage Holdings added former [U.S. House Speaker John Boehner](https://cheddar.com/videos/why-john-boehner-changed-his-mind-on-cannabis) to its board in April.
And High Times's addition comes as the publisher gears up for an IPO on the Nasdaq. The company on Tuesday also [launched a crowdfunded "pre-sale"](https://cheddar.com/videos/high-times-preps-for-ipo-with-crowdsourcing-drive) ahead of that offering, with shares available on its website for $11 apiece.
"We value the community and value the fans that have been consumers of ours for so long," Levin said. "We thought we'd give them an opportunity to grow with us. Cannabis valuations are great, and we're excited to join the ranks of the public companies in the cannabis industry."
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/adam-levin-on-taking-high-times-public-on-the-nasdaq).
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