LOCAL EVENTS

BY MARY CARREON @MARYYYSTARDUST

On Friday, May 13, Emerald Farm Tours hosted Soft Landing – an Emerald Cup pre-party of sorts at Under the Bridge Studios in LA’s Boyle Heights to help build connections between some of the award show’s judges, contestants and VIPs, the local SoCal Cannabis community, and the farmers up north who produce their weed. Which is, after all, the main mission of Emerald Farm Tours. “The reason my company has been so successful is that I make sure I bring people to the plant,” says Emerald Farm Tours owner and Soft Landing organizer Victor Pinho. “I give people access to farms, get people in front of the farmers, and show people where their Cannabis is actually coming from – which allows them to appreciate the plant in a way they wouldn’t be able to otherwise.” “COMPLIANCE This philosophy creates a EXPERTS DRESSED more knowledgeable consumIN BANANA SUITS ROAMED AROUND THE WAREHOUSE er base and helps preserve the OG Cannabis culture by LIGHTING JOINTS...” giving farmers and their land visibility. That’s the foundation upon which Emerald Farm Tours was founded, and undoubtedly that’s what went down at the Soft Landing party.

Nearly 120 attendees filtered in and out of the warehouse throughout the evening. Compliance experts dressed in banana suits roamed around the warehouse lighting joints while attendees smoked said joints, took dabs, danced to the sounds of legendary LA party DJ Lou E. Bagels, and enjoyed complimentary beer (from East Brother Beer Co.), gourmet munchies (provided by Briza Botanicals) and vino (courtesy of Bee Hunter Wine).

Sponsors and vendors at the event included Sol Spirit Farms, Guild Extracts, NORML, Coral Cove Wellness Retreat, Equilibrium Genetics and the Leaf, who served as the event’s media partner.

Thanks to Emerald Farm Tours for this intimate night of fun and networking celebrating California’s legacy Cannabis community.

CHRONIC CULTURE

Solventless Against the System

BY TOM BOWERS @CANNABOMBTOM

BY TOM BOWERS @CANNABOMBTOM

Decades of sungrown Cannabis culture descended on the sunny streets of Los Angeles in mid-May, as the Emerald Triangle’s tribe of legacy cultivators and operators donned their Hollywood best to walk the red carpet at The Emerald Cup’s first SoCal-based awards ceremony at the historic Montalban Theater on the Walk of Fame.

It was a historic moment for California Cannabis. For almost 20 years, the Cup has been a mainstay of the NorCal sungrown community, acting as a beacon and arbiter of the best of the best from the Triangle.

Founder Tim Blake and his daughter, Taylor Blake, pulled out all the stops for the occasion – with a weekend of festivities culminating in a three-story event capped by a rooftop afterparty that kept the good vibes flowing until the wee hours of the morning. Even the Awards themselves took things to the next level, with PuffCo Pro trophies customized by renowned glass artist Ryan Fitt going to the winners, of which there were more than ever before – because the SoCal locale also meant the Cup featured indoor Cannabis categories for the first time in its storied history.

High spots – and there were many – included a repeat win of the Sungrown Flower Award by Farmer and the Felon for their Lemon Sponge Cake, a sweep of the top three awards for Mixed Light by the amazing LitHouse, Fig Farms’ First, Third, Fifth and Eleventh place wins in the first-ever Indoor Flower category, Local Cannabis Co.’s First, Third and Fourth place wins in the Sungrown Greenhouse Flower category, Heritage Hash Co.’s First and Second place respective wins for its Whitethorn Rose Ice Water Hash and Whitethorn Rose Rosin, with Beezle and Cosmic both dominating the top of the Solvent Concentrate categories. (For a full list of winners, visit www.theemeraldcup.com/2022award-winners)

Stakes and tensions were high for the event, which seemed to matter even more this year, being on a Hollywood stage. Perhaps the biggest tension breaker – and one of the night’s most memorable moments – was when Oscar-winning Cannabis advocate Woody Harrelson gave a hilarious, impassioned-yet-lighthearted speech, keeping the crowd in stitches and good vibes for roughly 10 minutes. @theemeraldcup

Woody Delivers The Woods

BY TOM BOWERS @CANNABOMBTOM

Speaking of Woody Harrelson, the actor and his partners – including fellow Cannabis-warrior and talk show host Bill Maher – made a huge splash during Emerald Cup weekend with the opening of their new dispensary and lounge, The Woods WeHo.

A beautiful, naturalistic, open, airy space, The Woods offers a stunning set for West Hollywood Cannabis connoisseurs to shop for well-curated products. Harrelson imbued his love and respect for his friends in the Emerald Triangle sungrown Cannabis community into the menu and the decor of the shop, with a significant selection of terpene-rich NorCal flowers from heavy hitters such as Ridgeline, CannaCountry Farms, Huckleberry Hill, SoHum Royal, Rebel Grown and more. An entire wall display dedicated to the farmers adorns the wall across from the counter.

To celebrate the grand opening, Harrelson invited a number of his farmer friends, as well as some of his celebrity friends, to celebrate well into the night on the evening before the Cup.

Good vibes were omnipresent, and the phrase “Cannabis scene” felt even more applicable than ever under the Hollywood sky.

THE WOODS WEHO 8271 SANTA MONICA BLVD. THEWOODSWEHO.COM @THEWOODSWEHO

Across the city from The Woods WeHo Grand Opening, Chronic Culture and Cannabis champion (and Leaf Magazines writer) Jimi Devine gathered a group of heavy hitters in the hash and flower community at The Bakerie’s LA rooftop to sample a smattering of solventless sweetness.

As an Emerald Cup solventless judge, Devine brought an array of entries to serve up for ticket holders, alongside industry hashmakers including a strong showing from freshly-minted legend Marc Hammond and his team at Kalya.

The official sponsor list was a veritable who’s who, with Wizard Trees, Cam, Cali-X, Packwoods, Money Trees, DiamondFire and Cannvestments stepping up to the plate. Every cent from the event went to benefit Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM), and the final ticket tally was $6,700. Talk about getting high for a good cause.