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Federal authorities are threatening to shut down a Nevada event billed as one of the world’s largest marijuana festivals.
The Las Vegas Cannabis Cup is formally known as the “2017 High Times Cannabis Cup.”
According to the Reno Gazette-Journal, the festival has existed for about 30 years, being held in Amsterdam and, more recently, in Colorado and Washington after they “legalized recreational marijuana.” The newspaper calls the Cannabis Cup a “giant hemp rendezvous” that draws thousands.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. The Federal Authorities Sent the Tribe Sponsoring the Festival a Warning Letter
(Getty)
The Reno Gazette-Journal reports that the fest would be held on the grounds of the Moapa Paiute Tribe March 4 and 5.
On February 16, the U.S. Attorney in Las Vegas warned the tribe that the “the transport, possession, use and distribution of marijuana is illegal under federal law” and the festival would violate that provision, the newspaper reported. According to the Reno Gazette, the tribe was working with federal authorities to try to solve the conflict.
2. There Are Signs That the Trump Administration Wants to Crack Down on Legalizing Marijuana
WSen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee during his confirmation hearing to be the U.S. Attorney General January 10, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Getty)
The Reno newspaper reports that, whether the event goes forth or not, will be “one of the first indicators that the White House is indeed going to crack down on marijuana crimes in states where recreational marijuana is legal.”
On February 28, Donald Trump’s new attorney general, Jeff Sessions, “restated his opposition to marijuana use and offered an ominous warning about state-level marijuana legalization efforts, suggesting that such policies would open states to ‘violence,’ as well as potential repercussions from the federal government,” reported The Huffington Post.
According to The Huffington Post, Sessions also commented that states can legalize marijuana but, even if they do, “I would just say it does remain a violation of federal law to distribute marijuana throughout any place in the United States, whether a state legalizes it or not.”
The week before, Trump’s Press Secretary Sean Spicer had said there would likely be more federal enforcement of recreational marijuana laws and added, of recreational marijuana use, that it “is something the Department of Justice, I think, will be further looking into,” according to the Daily Signal.
3. The Cannabis Cup Is a Marijuana Trade Show Hosted in States With Legalized Recreational Marijuana
Awesome photo from our #2016 #CannabisCup
According to the website for the Cannabis Cup, the event is “the world’s leading marijuana trade show, celebrating the world of ganja through competitions, instructional seminars, expositions, celebrity appearances, concerts and product showcases.”
The website says the cup is only “hosted in states that have legalized medical and recreational marijuana,” adding that, “the Cannabis Cup stands as the foremost gathering place for the cannabis community to network and celebrate.”
The festival’s mission is partly “fighting for the political legitimacy of the plant,” reports the website. There are Cannabis Cups planned in California as well.
4. The Cannabis Cup Started in Amsterdam & Is Held in Cities Throughout the World
Doors are open for the final day of the US #CannabisCup & Carnival! Come join us! Tickets available at the door!
The website for the Cup says it began in Amsterdam in 1988, and is now held in “over a dozen major cities around the U.S., Europe, Caribbean and Canada.”
Cup trophies are given to people who win competitions. There are some cups, such as one coming up in the American Midwest, that are only open to medical users of marijuana. The cup is sponsored by High Times Magazine. According to the magazine, the 2017 event will feature “interactive cannabis experiences, where attendees can learn hands-on about cultivation, legalization and connoisseurship, while coming together as a community to take part in the world’s premiere cannabis competition.”
The event will feature “a live cannabis grow room, live trimming, a cannabis chef cooking competition, edibles seminars, product launches and more—like a World’s Fair of Weed,” reports the magazine.
5. Colorado’s Cup Was the Largest in the World
According to The Cannabist, the Colorado Cannabis Cup was the largest in the festival’s history, drawing 35,000 people per day to the festival in 2015.
However, the site reports that the festival also ran into trouble with authorities in Colorado, and, after county commissioners rejected High Times’ permit for the 2016 event, the organizers moved the event to San Bernardino, California.
The 2017 event was moved to Nevada after voters in that state legalized marijuana.