California Postpones Second Cannabis Cup Until 2019

California’s very first marijuana festival occurred with some glitches just five months ago. For High Times, the organizers, it nearly did not happen. To have legal recreational marijuana sales onsite, Sacramento required organizers have a permit, and they did not realize they needed one until just a few weeks before the event. Luckily, they managed to acquire one a few days before it started.

This is the cannabis policy in a state with liberal laws. Organizing a marijuana festival is no easy achievement. According to Joe Devlin, Chief of Cannabis Policy and Enforcement in Sacramento, “It was the first marijuana festival in the state. I think, like many things related to cannabis, it has been a learning experience on all sides, both for regulators and those being regulated.”

The event held the first High Times Cannabis Cup in California. Devlin called it “largely uneventful.” He said, “There were not any major violations of the law or cannabis regulations. That is a good thing.” If all went well, what is going on with the second Cannabis Cup, slotted for the weekend before Halloween? Postponed to next year, spring to be exact, both Devlin and organizers say it is still happening.

History of the Cannabis Cup

The High Times Cannabis Cup is the biggest marijuana festival in the world. Founded by Steven Hager in 1988, it is a yearly event held in the Netherlands each November. It allows judges from countries worldwide to sample and vote for their favorite weed, deciding on the overall Cannabis Cu winner, best new product, best glass, best booth, best hash, and best Nederhash, hashish produced in the Netherlands.

A group of very important judges decides which seed company grows the best Indica, Sativa, and hybrid strains, as well as which company makes the best Nederhash and which makes the best-imported hash. Attendees of this famous marijuana festival enjoy live music, an expo for cannabis-related products from cannabis-centered businesses, and educational seminars.

High Times held its first Cannabis Cup in the United States back in 2010. Now, it organizes these events in California, Denver, Michigan, Seattle, and Portland. There is also a High Times Medical Cannabis Cup specifically for medical strains, but the most U.S. Cannabis Cup events promise a weekend-long marijuana festival in states that legalize pot for recreational use.

Just like the High Times Cannabis Cup that occurs in Amsterdam each year, people sample and vote for their favorite marijuana strains. Winners receive trophies for a number of different categories. Teams of judges choose the best Indica, best Sativa, best hybrid, best concentrate, best edible, and highest CBD levels in marijuana products. Attendees choose best products, best booth, and best glass.

Additionally, all pot products go to an independent cannabis laboratory for testing, specifically to determine THC levels and CBD content. After 27 years of hosting the Cannabis Cup in the Netherlands, Amsterdam held its final one in 2014. This decision was in part due to increasing uncertainty around Dutch cannabis policy.

Organizers opted to choose warmer locations with more liberal marijuana laws in the United States and worldwide to continue the Cannabis Cup. The first ever police raid on the location for the 2010 Amsterdam Cannabis Cup also played a role in the decision to move it. This famous marijuana festival celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2017. Danny Danko hosted the award show.

High Times Cannabis Cup 2019

In speaking to the media, organizers cited California Assembly Bill 2020 as the reason for postponing California’s second Cannabis Cup. Bill 2020 has expanded new guidelines to cannabis policy. Now, hosting a marijuana festival is more difficult for people to access, but Devlin confirmed that, after some initial delay, organizers paid Sacramento a whopping $60,000 in tax liability for the event’s go-ahead.

Devlin congratulates Sacramento for being at the forefront of cannabis experimentation. “We are a thorough leader on the subject,” Devlin explained. “We are not afraid of being the first ones to attempt something. I think the council and the mayor have shown a lot of encouragement in implementing thoughtful regulations around a substance that is in our community and has been for a long time.”

You will still be able to sample California’s best strains of marijuana, decide which your favorite is, enjoy some live music and entertainment, attend educational cannabis seminars, find new products, and enjoy the cannabis expo by cannabis-oriented companies. The prestigious High Times Cannabis Cup is a long-running event famous worldwide, and cultivators display the most potent weed in existence.

The exact date and location of the next Cannabis Cup remains a mystery, but the marijuana festival will happen, just at a different time and place. If you already purchased tickets for the event, then organizers say that you can keep them, as they will still be valid when the event occurs. If you want a refund instead, then you can email [email protected].