MMJ: Cups, Squares and a Triangle

A friend in Colorado told me another pot festival was just recently denied permission to organize its event. My friend is excited to get a behind-the-scenes look into the industry the way I’ve described my experiences at the many festivals here in Northern California. Why is Colorado having so many issues with these types of events compared to California? - Michael

It’s funny. In some ways, it is easier to throw a festival or a party when weed is illegal. It can be seen as a sort of protest, like the Ann Arbor Hash Bash or the Seattle Hempfest. Thousands of people show up and put a cloud in the air, the cops can’t arrest everyone, and people are mostly left alone to smoke weed and have a great nonviolent time. Things get a little fuzzy when marijuana is just another drug. Anti-smoking ordinances tend to treat tobacco and marijuana the same way, and for some strange reason, many city officials would rather have beerfests (because we all know alcohol users are never violent or out of control) than a pot party.

The High Times Magazine Cannabis Cup has been a successful event in Denver for more than 10 years. However, it seems like the good people of Denver don’t want 35,000 good-natured people spending money on hotel rooms and restaurants, because weed is bad or something. Fortunately, San Bernardino has kinda become the unofficial home of large cannabis festivals. The High Times Cup was there in January, and it looks like they will be there again in April. San Bernardino also hosted the Chalice Cup in 2015.

Colorado’s loss is California’s gain. I would like to thank the city of San Bernardino for being cool about adult cannabis users. I would suggest you and your friend get tickets for the San Bernardino event (www.cannabiscup.com). Have fun!

What you think the odds are for legalization in California in 2016? According to the people at my dispensary, they think it won’t happen until 2019. - RCLE

2019 would be a weird year for cannabis legalization. Right now, California has a 50/50 chance. Sean Parker’s AUMA has money and is gaining steam. We will see if the AUMA can convince the squares (and all the growers in the Emerald Triangle) to support 62 pages of regulations.