Marty's Travels

My house has wheels

Cannabis Cup in Sacramento

At this point in time, the only argument in opposition to legal cannabis is the fear of the unknown. And there are still a lot of unknowns, but for the most part the real risks have been mitigated by the regulatory system. A big question has always been about public consumption, and it’s been fear that no one has allowed such in any way, shape, or form. Rather than try to codify consumption etiquette, all localities have opted for complete prohibition.

Since the 90’s, public consumption has been common at major festivals and organized events. Like Hempfest in Seattle, where the law is challenged by putting up 50,000 people smoking joints against however many cops the city wants to waste on the enforcement effort. There have been many such events around the country, and the cops have not won a single battle, so now they just make an appearance.

California allows such events at fairgrounds, an entity that is separately protected by law, and this weekend such an event is occurring in Sacramento at Cal-Expo. There is selling, sampling, and consuming on the grounds by licensed purveyors and adults. People are watching closely from all over the world to see how this goes, the first time a legal cannabis public activity has been permitted by the government.

It’s going well, as anticipated. Alcohol is not permitted

I assume that the legal states will be watching and seriously considering adjusting their laws to allow similar events, if all goes well in CA.