RAW Clarifies Origin Of Its Rolling Papers And Philanthropic Efforts Amid Safety Concerns Following Legal Battle

Earlier this month, distributor HBI International was permanently enjoined from making certain claims about its rolling paper brand RAW Organic Hemp rolling papers, following a federal lawsuit filed by rival Republic Brands.

The court found that HBI engaged in unfair competition and violated the Illinois Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act through its packaging and promotional activities, and ordered it to cease manufacturing or replenishing inventory with goods that fail to conform to the court's order. The injunction order follows a jury's verdict that HBI made false claims about the RAW Foundation and the location of its product manufacturing, among other things. The court also ordered HBI to stop making certain claims about other brands it distributes, including Elements, DLX, Skunk, Pay-Pay, and Juicy Jays, in packaging including an "Alcoy stamp" after May 31, 2023.

Now RAW has released a statement addressing the concerns about the safety of its products. In the statement, RAW expresses its commitment to engaging in dialogue and collaboration with its community to address any concerns that have arisen, and has vowed to stop rumors about the safety of their products that are both hurtful and untrue.

As the situation continues to unfold, RAW has emphasized the importance of transparency and open communication with its community.

"RAW is an underdog success story. With your support, we have risen to be a global brand beloved by discriminating smokers. Under the vision of our founder Josh Kesselman, RAW is now one of the global leaders in rolling papers and smoking innovations," the statement starts.

The company, which is independently owned and run by a "tight-knit team," is proud of its reputation for quality products and positive standing in the industry, the statement continues.

Below are some key issues addressed in the message.

The Origin Of RAW Papers

RAW has clarified that its Organic Hemp rolling paper booklets are made in Benimarfull, a village in the Alicante Province of Spain, using unbleached certified organic hemp that is milled at the finest mills in the South of France.

The paper rolls are sent to Spain, where they go through a special process to be made into either the sheets of RAW in the booklet or finished and sent onwards to be rolled into a cone.

RAW's Philantropic Efforts

In addition, RAW has provided information about its philanthropic efforts, now known as RAW Giving, which the company assures has donated more than $2.5 million in direct cash contributions, as well as in-kind contributions of $186,174, to a wide variety of charities.

The company has updated how it communicates about its giving efforts and clarified that it is not a charity but provides financial support to many charities and other causes central to the values of the RAW brand.

The Lawsuit

The lawsuit that resulted in updates to RAW's packaging and marketing messages also included some good news for RAW.

Per the statement, a jury awarded RAW $979,620 for a competitor's willful infringement of RAW trade dress and $40,000 statutory damages for willful infringement of RAW copyright. The company conceded to an Agreed Order requiring certain changes on some of its packaging and marketing messages, but assures customers that all RAW products continue to meet high-quality standards.

All in all, RAW's statement emphasizes the company's commitment to transparency and quality, as well as its ongoing efforts to innovate and improve their products and brand.

Stay tuned for more updates on this interesting saga.