Cannabis Cup Drops Down in NorCal

For those within the medical Proposition 215 area at the NorCal Cannabis Cup in San Fransisco, consumption was on full display. Several collectives offered free dabs as incentives to membership and sold premium cannabis to attendees looking to take a piece of the celebration home with them.

“With legalization it seems to be working,” longtime cannabis advocate Russ Belville said to the crowd during his “Marijuana Legalization State of the Union” presentation. “It seems to be getting better each time we pass it.”

Belville was one of many speakers who addressed the crowds during the tradeshow and cannabis competition, now in its fifth year in the U.S. While speakers guided attendees through topics such as the ins and outs of legalization across the county, cannabis cultivation and potential reforms in the Golden State, the main draw for the majority of attendees was the medical area outside. In this zone, booths blasted music and messages over loud speakers in an attempt to garner attention. Most of the attendees over the course of the two-day event matched a demographic that dominate many cannabis events – young males decked out in fitted caps and matching sneakers.

“If you have a purple wristband you get a free dab, if you’re wearing a hat you get a free dab,” a man announced to the crowd gathered near one of the musical stages in the medical zone.

Within the smoking area, San Francisco-based cannabis collective The Hepburns debuted a deluxe preroll complete with a glass tip. Featuring Cherry 47 and French Laundry hash the joint was sold in a glass vial clearly outlining the cannabis and hash selections available within. The presentation of the joint mirrored a business practice demonstrated by several booths at the cup in an attempt to elevate the cannabis buyers’ experience.

The booth that played host to the Hepburns, Sense Cultivator’s Collective, welcomed patrons to sniff the scent left behind by their premium selections on display in glass cases often reserved for gourmet food items. Other booths, such as the Berkeley-based CRAFT Collective, also earned high marks with attendees for their presentation, featuring tight buds dispersed within a fresh flower bouquet. Demonstrating their herb stands on more than looks alone, CRAFT also earned accolades from the judges with a first place in the CBD category for its CBD OG and a second place in the hybrid flower category for its Tahoe Chem.

For Ryan Matsumoto, one of the innovators behind Spry — a creative battery-powered rig – the cup was a great opportunity to sample many different types of concentrates. Matsumoto and his team brought out their new product to debut the torchless technology to the masses and was excited to see the labeling present on the concentrates available for purchase.

“It’s just cool that you have options now and you can see how regulation has really helped the industry,” he says.

Have you ever been to a Cannabis Cup? Tell us about your experience in the comments.