What's Up with High Times' Cannabis Cup?
August 17, 2016High Times just announced a new event to take place October 7-9, 2016 - the "So-Cal Halloween Medical Cannabis Cup."
It is the fourth So-Cal Cannabis Cup to be held in 2016.
And the same venue hosts them all, the NOSE Center (National Orange Show Events Center).
But just about the same time High Times posted the Halloween Cup, High Times removed the web page for the Jamaica Cannabis Cup.
Usually when High Times removes a long-standing link to a Cannabis Cup event, it means they're canceling the event.
What does the Halloween Cannabis Cup in Southern California have to do with the Jamaica Cannabis Cup?
It could be that High Times is having problems (again) securing permits to run their Cannabis Cups.
The Halloween Cannabis Cup is at the NOSE Center - apparently one of the few remaining cannabis tolerant venues.
And the Jamaica Cannabis Cup has certain hurdles that appear to be too high to be cleared.
Why would the Jamaica Cannabis Cup be canceled? Afterall, they legalized cannabis in Jamaica last year!
Jamaica was touted as High Times' big replacement for the famous Amsterdam Cannabis Cup, which High Times canceled last year after running it for 27 consecutive years.
Even though cannabis has been legalized in Jamaica, public consumption events are only legal for practitioners of the Rastafari religion.
It's not much of a Cannabis Cup if there's no public consumption allowed.
So last year, the inaugural Jamaica Cannabis Cup went ahead as High Times teamed up with a group called "Rastafari Rootzfest" to host the event. The match-up seems to be out of necessity in order to satisfy the public consumption law.
Was the Rastafari rule regarding public consumption somehow the undoing of this year's Jamaica Cannabis Cup?
High Times is usually tight lipped about their cancellations, so a third party typically ends up providing details at some point.
If the Jamaica Cannabis Cup is indeed canceled (as the Denver Cannabis Cup was canceled this year), that means it appreas only three venues remain where High Times is able to get a permit for their Cannabis Cups:
- Auto City Speedway in Clio Michigan
- Cow Palace in Daly City California
- NOSE Center in San Bernardino California
And only registered medical patients can partake there.
No more Denver. No more Jamaica. No more Amsterdam (although new organizers are now running the show in Amsterdam).
