2012 High Times Cannabis Cup Los Angeles Highlights

The High Times Cannabis Cup, permanently located in Amsterdam took the show on the road this weekend to Los Angeles Center Studios for 2 days of celebration, education and networking for activists, patients, enthusiasts and those simply curious about the culture and science of cannabis. The Cup is a fierce competition between growers and producers with the intent of finding the finest quality strains and concentrates California has to offer qualified patients. California patients with valid recommendations were allowed access to an outdoor area full of vendors with the newest products and services available to them and able to sample some of the best medicine in the State. Attendees learned about the latest in grow equipment, smoking accessories, glassware and gear available in the cannabis community.

One of the most valuable aspects to any High Times event is the educational seminars which provide tons of legal, medical and scientific information, plus grow classes with expert cannabis cultivators happy to help any patient or provider produce the highest quality medicine possible. I truly enjoyed the Patient's Panel featuring Dr. Allan Frankel, MD, Dr. Christine Paoletti, MD, Addison DeMoura of Steep Hill Lab and Fred Gardner, managing editor of O'Shaughnessy's speaking on the science of cannabis in respect to patients. They presented valuable information to a good sized crowd of people eager to understand the complicated dynamics of the relationship between an individual's endo-cannabinoid system and the cannabis.

Recently, in the activist community, there have been rather heated discussions of recreational use vs. medical use. Many initiatives currently collecting signatures to make it on this year's ballot involve regulating cannabis like alcohol and make it available to recreational users over the age of 21 while others are strictly written to provide safe access to medicinal patients with no language for recreational use. I asked the panel to describe how they felt about recreational use vs. medicinal use, what they tell their patients on the subject and if they had any clear guidelines. Dr. Allan Frankel's answer was the best for me, telling the audience the difference for him was the quality of cannabis used at the time. He saved his most potent strains for medicinal use and enjoyed strains with less potency during moments of relaxation. All of the panelists agreed, consuming marijuana is a personal choice and definitive on the needs and desires of the individual.

Dr.Christine Paoletti, MD is featured in the movie NORML Life where she outlines how cannabinoids work in the human body. Seeing her speak in person and meeting her after the presentation was a real treat for me.

I found B-Real of Cypress Hill hanging out in the WeedsMaps booth and had a the chance to snap a photo. Cypress Hill's Smokeout is one of the next events scheduled at the beginning of the season happening March 3 in San Bernardino. B-Real's dedication to reforming the destructive laws against cannabis use as a medicine are evident as he prepares for the Smokeout for SafeAccess rally, protest and march in Los Angeles March 1. The troops have been rallied to peaceably assemble in support of safe access in light of recent Federal crackdowns on dispensaries in the area. Smokeout happens this Saturday at the NOS Events Center in San Bernardino, CA.

The 420 FL Booth, co sponsored by Redman Medicine hosted 420 Football games during the event giving attendees the opportunity to test out their smoking skills with a little healthy competition. The rules of the game are simple, each player takes a water pipe hit and moves 1 yard up the line for scrimmage for every second he/she holds the hit before blowing out. Coughing is considered a fumble and the water pipe must be cleared in order for a player to gain yards. The games at the High Times Cannabis Cup were played with RedMan's prize cannabis, Super Bud, an extraordinary strain accentuated with honey oils (46.2% THC), hash (27.2% THC) and kief (19.2%THC) applied to a high end, certified organic strain of medical cannabis.

Cannabis Planet, located next to the 420 FL booth maintained the chill atmosphere featuring notorious 420 DJ Selekta Lou Sanchez spinning the best infusion of reggae, hip hop and 420 friendly beats. Chef Mike Deleo educated cannabis patients with medicated cooking demonstrations and sampling. Ponyboy and Red Eye from Los Marijuanos entertained the crowd while Hemp Vision TV filmed for future episodes to be aired online on Hemp Vision TV.

Upstairs in the main building MAPS created an area for art and exploration. Tea was served in front of live art demonstrations providing a calm area for rest and discussion. MAPS or the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies promotes research for treating psychological disorders such as PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) with psychedelics and cannabis. Books were available on the subject for a small donation and the exhibit featured art from all cultures serving as visual representation of positive psychedelic experiences.

High Times Cannabis Cups are always a positive experience for me and an excellent way for patients and enthusiasts to come together to see what's happening in the cannabis industry. Attendees leave with an expanded perception on the legal issues, a deeper relationship with the plant and a feeling of having been a part of something epic. Thanks to everyone at High Times for producing another fabulous event improving the quality of lives of all who participate. What a Magical Event!

Internation Cannabis and Hemp EXPO sets a new standard for Northern CA

Int Che Entrance Sign

Kim Cue started the International Cannabis and Hemp Expo as a way to bring Cannabis Education to the public in Northern CA. The first shows were held at the famous Cow Palace in Daly City, a venue housing hundreds of concerts and events over the years. The first Expo of its kind in the area, Int Che provided a Prop 215 Consumption area for CA Medical Cannabis patients and featured hundreds of diverse vendors, industry professionals speaking on educational panels and a VIP Cannabis Cup made only available to those with a golden ticket. This year, the International Cannabis and Hemp EXPO made another movement shaking accomplishment. They moved from the Cow Palace to the downtown Streets of Oakland, CA on September 3 & 4th, 2011. The prop 215 consumption section was situated on the front lawn of Oakland's City Hall. Hundreds of vendors moved from an indoor exhibition space to 14th & Clay Street.

Int Che Golden Ticket

The elements of this show were the same as previous events. Patients with a Golden Ticket received judges boxes complete with samples of flower, hash, kief, oils and medibles. Promotional items and a glass smoking piece also come with the box, so attendees were able to sample the products onsite in the VIP section.  
Selkta Lou, premier resident DJ for most events in the Cannabis Industry held the chill vibe in the VIP section hosting guest DJ's throughout the weekend. Mixes of mellow hip hop and reggae filled the air while patients enjoyed the Hash Bar. Winners are announced at the end of the event. This year's winners included Angel Care's WOW for Best CA Cannabis Strain and Best CA Cannabis Hash, San Jose Patients Group's Purple Dragon's Breath for Best CA Wax, Irish Moss Drinks for Best CA Edible and Granny's Greef Leaf's medicated herbal balm for Best CA Specialty product.

Speaker panels with Anna Rae Grabstein of SteepHill Labs, Cheryl Shuman of Kush Magazine, Mikki Norris of West Coast Leaf newspaper, Steve Bloom of Celebrity Stoner, Melissa Balin of Hemp Can Save the Planet and Angel Reich of Angel Reich Center for Health or ARCH Collective were held on the speaker stages in the general public area. panalists discussed many issues affecting the Cannabis movement today including media, politics, culture, trends and science.

Oaksterdam University, located on 16th and Broadway adjacent to the festival grounds hosted after parties for Golden Ticket Holders and conducted tours of the facilities for folks interested in seeing their grow labs and classroom spaces. Oaksterdam University is the first Trade School University of its kind in the Cannabis industry and has expanded since its inception in 2009 to include 4 locations Nationwide. Oaksterdam also showcased their antique car fueled by hemp oil demonstrating the value of industrial Hemp as a replacement for petroleum. Henry Ford's original car was built to be run on alternative fuels like Hemp oil and corn ethanol.

Oaksterdam Hemp Car

Int Che Main Stage Oakland City Hall

Of course with milestones comes criticism. Many articles were published after the event ridiculing the City of Oakland for allowing a Prop 215 smoking section on the front lawn in spite of the City's efforts to keep the media from publishing photos of people smoking with City Hall in the background. Journalists were required to sign a waiver stating they would not publish photos of people smoking with the municipal building in the background. There were no reports of violence or disruption reported at the event.

Although sales of Cannabis medicines were not allowed, many samples were available to patients in the Prop 215 section including flower, seeds and medibles. Originally, the permit allowed for onsite sales in a Farmer's Market environment, however the language was removed from the permit one day before the show. Vendors were told they would not be able to sell cannabis goods upon arrival.

Glass, clothing and accessories were available to the public in the general vending section located on 14th and Clay Streets including DoobTubes, Illusion Glass and 420 FL Products. The event also featured a walk in semi-truck sized Gro Bot container equipped with lights and a high end ventilation system for optimal plant yield.

For more information about the International Cannabis and Hemp EXPO, please visit their website: Int Che Events or email: contactus@intche.org

Golden Ticket Judges Box and Contents