CC AT HIGH TIMES' 9TH ANNUAL CANNABIS CUP

~ by Dana Larsen

Amsterdam is great, the Cup was not

The best thing about this year's High Times Cannabis Cup was that it was held in Amsterdam. Amsterdam is a fine city with beautiful architecture, friendly people and a tolerant atmosphere. Marijuana is readily available at Amsterdam's many coffeeshops, and although it costs more than you might expect in such a free society ($8-$20 a gram) it is always of fine quality.

Unfortunately, the High Times Cannabis Cup itself does not live up to the standards of its backdrop. I would love to be able to write a rave review of the event, but unfortunately I can't do that. I was disappointed that this year's cup was not an improvement over last year's event, and in many ways it was less organized and frankly less enjoyable.

Positronic's Wernard discusses growing in Amsterdam's changing political climate.

I want more pot

Part of the problem with this year's event was that there just wasn't enough free pot. Faithful readers will remember that last year I described how, during the opening ceremonies, each coffeeshop had a few minutes to promote their variety of marijuana, which scantily clad girls then distributed to the crowd in large silver bowls. This year there was nothing like that, and although some free herb was discreetly distributed throughout the crowd, there wasn't very much, and it wasn't very exciting.

There were seventeen varieties of hydroponic marijuana entered in the competition, and twenty-three varieties grown in soil. These came from sixteen coffeeshops and seedbanks, along with four independent entrants.

To actually test every variety would cost in excess of five hundred dollars, which seems a high price to pay for two ounces, especially after paying a hundred dollars to be a judge. It would have made more sense to me to charge more for a judge's pass, but to provide one gram of each variety to each judge at the beginning of the competition. This would ensure that every variety was given an equal opportunity, and also help judges save some money.

spirit vs cash

A big part of this year's theme was the spiritual aspect of smoking marijuana, which seemed a strange message for an event which is essentially a means for coffeeshops and seedbanks to promote themselves to American tourists. Although I agree that marijuana use can open the mind to new perspectives and concepts, I don't believe that all smokers share a common spiritual outlook. The Rainbow Love ideology may deserve a place in an event like this, but I don't think it is necessary for it to dominate it.

I would have preferred that the whole event focus either on the practical aspects of reintroducing legal hemp and marijuana into our society, or else just be an unabashed blowout smokefest with everyone smoking as much quality ganja as possible in a one week period. My ideal cannabis conference would successfully combine the two, yet this year's Cannabis Cup accomplished neither. At least last year's cup was a good party.

puffing before breakfast

During one of the 4:20 councils, Steve Hagar told the crowd "if you're smoking up before you have breakfast, well, maybe you'd better think about your relationship with the plant." I was amazed to hear those words coming from the mouth of the editor of High Times magazine, as I know that I was not the only hardcore smoker in attendance who puffed before breakfast, usually before getting out of bed, sometimes before waking up.

In fact, considering that sampling every variety would require smoking about 10 grams a day, the dedicated judge would be wise to start early.

Robert Clarke of the International Hemp Association reveals the mysteries of hashish.

the maddening crowds

The Cup ceremonies and events were held in the same two locations as last year, the Pax Party House and the Melkweg. The Pax is a four story building which housed the Hemp Expo and the seminars, while the Melkweg was used for the opening ceremonies, music, and other presentations. Both locations were strained to their limits to contain the many attendees, and so were usually hot, stuffy, and smokey. I spent a great deal of time saying "excuse me" as I pushed past people.

I hope that High Times is able to find a larger location for next year's event, because if they want the Cannabis Cup to continue growing in size they will definitely need a bigger space to contain the crowds.

presentations and seminars

One floor of the Pax Party House was devoted to talks from different speakers and panels, as well as to the 4:20 open-mike councils. Although most of the speakers had interesting things to say, it was almost always standing room only, with people crowding in the doorway desperately trying to hear what was being said. Since there were always a few private conversations going on in the back of the room and in the hallway, it was usually hard to accomplish this, even if lucky enough to be seated in a reasonable location.

more interactivity

I also feel that the seminar aspect of the event could have been expanded to include more interactive and hands-on experiences. It would have been more fun and exciting to have been able to actually create something instead of just straining to listen and maybe take notes.

Simple interactive classes could have included: making paper or fabric from raw hemp stalk, taking a cutting from a pot plant and learning how to root it as a clone, providing online computers for exploring the many different websites devoted to hemp and marijuana, a discussion of different strains of marijuana with live examples of each variety, learning how to produce hash and oil and then making some, discussing how to put on an effective rally or demonstration and learning other techniques to promote social change, demonstrations and practical advice on how to smuggle and hide marijuana from customs and police, learning about the health benefits of hemp seed and then making or sampling some hemp foods, and so on.

These kinds of simple classes would not require any great expertise to set up and run, yet they would provide a means for people to actually involve themselves in the learning process, and they could be fun as well as educational.

At the very least, the seminar room should be well ventilated and large enough so that everyone who has paid to participate can sit down and hear what is being said. It would also be nice if the speakers had slides or some other props to add some colour to their presentations.

Natalie Byrd struts her stuff during the Hemp Fashion Show.

the Cannabis Cup

There were ten cups given out in various categories this year, and a change from the usual format was that the Grand Prize Cannabis Cup could be awarded to anything, there were no restrictions. There were some who advocated voting for "higher consciousness" while others argued that Dennis Peron deserved the award, yet strangely it was won by a coffeeshop, de Dampkring.

Although de Dampkring is a nice establishment and also won the awards for best soil-grown pot, best hash, and best coffeeshop, I was disappointed that the highest prize wasn't awarded to someone or something more deserving of recognition than a coffeeshop, no matter how fine their hash.

the Cannabis Castle

The Cannabis Castle tour was also one of last year's highlights, but this year it was cancelled entirely. The introduction of new laws and regulations in Holland has made it harder for the Sensi Seed Bank to bring busloads of Americans through their growrooms. In fact, proprietor Ben Dronkers claims that they will be cutting back drastically on their seed production, relying on their stockpile to last through the next two years. This could signal the beginning of lean times for Holland,

I had fun

Don't get me wrong, I had a fabulous time, as I always enjoy visiting Amsterdam. I smoked lots of fine hash and buds, and had the pleasure of accompanying the always erudite Dr Alexander Sumach on a walk through the Reichstag Museum, where we discovered hemp seeds and fabrics in a number of historic paintings and sculptures. I also met many interesting promoters and retailers and saw some fascinating new hemp products which we'll tell you about in our next issue, along with a look at the different strains being grown in Holland. It's just that most of my fun and enjoyment came from fellow attendees and the city of Amsterdam, not from the actual event.

the competition

There were a number of other marijuana festivals in Europe this fall, including the 2nd Amsterdam Hash Bash, the Dutch Grower's Cup, and a German Cannabusiness Festival. Although Cannabis Canada didn't have any official participation in these other events, you can be sure that we will be considering our options and making an effort to attend some new and different festivals next year. I suspect that we aren't the only ones thinking this way, and that many of this year's exhibitors and participants might end up flying over for someone else's euro-party in 1997.

I also know that I wasn't the only one who looked around me and thought "we should put on something like this back home!" I know many Californians were fantasizing about holding a similar event on their home turf, and I heard other Canadians discussing the possibilities of holding an international cannabis conference in our nation, probably Vancouver.

I don't know how long it will take for any of these tentative plans to come to fruition, but I do know that the High Times Cannabis Cup is going to face more varied competition every year, and it needs to evolve into a more dynamic and interactive event if it is to remain the most well-known and respected cannabis competition in the world.