High Times Medical Marijuana Cup

For the first time in all my years of growing I attended the San Francisco High Times Cannabis Cup. The name is a bit of a misnomer as the event actually took place at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, approximately 1 hour North of San Francisco. But I digress.

As this was my first time attending such an event, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I was hoping to meet with some vendors and generally just survey the lay of the industry as it’s shaping up. I have to admit I was a little overwhelmed. One thing I learned very quickly was that Dabs are in style! There were over 200 vendors in attendance and it would appear that over 50% of them had something to do with hash, hash oil, or hash oil pipes. There was no shortage of free hits as many of the vendors were offering them to anyone passing by.

The event grounds was divided into two sections, non-medical or general admissions and medical ID required. Within the non-medical section booths mostly consisted of nutrients, trimming machines like the centurion, lighting, and nonprofit foundations. Unfortunately I didn’t feel there was a big presence from many nutrient companies. Although It’s possible that I just missed them within the fray. Another non-medicated section had vendors with greenhouses, t-shirts, BHO extractors, and a few other odds and ends. I even discovered that you can buy butane in a 5 gallon propane bottle sized tank, or for the mad scientist in you, you can have a 20lb tank of butane shipped to your door! Now that is just crazy non-sense to me.

The real hot spot for the event had to be the medicated sections. As I approached the entry gate I could see the smoke rising above the fence. It was almost comical, or surreal even to see the plumes of white smoke rising into the air. Only a few years ago this was not an image I expected in a public place. As you would expect, you must show your Medical ID card to enter the medicated sections. If you didn’t have your medical card, you were in luck. There were doctors standing by that could give you your recommendation on the spot. I’m not entirely sure how legit that actually is, but there was a line of people waiting to see the doc.

Immediately inside the gate was a vendor with 5ft-6ft tall plants for sale, assuming you had a way to get them home other than stuffing them into the trunk of your 1982 Hatchback Accord. At least that is the humorous image I conjured up upon seeing these plants for sale at an event.

There were plenty of booths with seed vendors such as Subcool Seeds, Bog Seeds, MTG, Serious Seeds, Rare Dankness, and Sin City to name but a few. I even ran into our old friends from Afficionado seeds. There was such a wide selection of seeds to choose from I found it hard to contain myself. The seed vendors was hands down the best part for me. It was awesome!

There were vendors with clones too just incase someone wanted to skip the seed stage. Also, did I mention dabs? Dab pipes, dab bongs, dab oil extractors that were 6ft tall stainless steel contraptions! (oh my)

Overall, there was a ton of vendors and that part was awesome. I got some free schwag. I picked up some seeds. Got a contact high, and talked to some genuinely great people. The only thing I would say was a little bit of a disappointment was the over abundance of dabbing. I understand it’s appeal, but I feel it’s not the best medicine for most, and I was really hoping to see more emphasis on medical marijuana. For example, there weren’t any CBD strains that I could find. Maybe I missed it. It was a great turnout of vendors and spectators. I would recommend attending the event to anyone if there is an event near you. Just remember, “Safety First” It’s well worth it get a hotel so you can really enjoy all there is for you.

High Times Medical Marijuana Cup, 4.0 out of 5 based on 2 ratings