This past weekend, while some of you were enjoying the NBA Playoffs, I was busy basking in Portland’s cannabis culture.

The Weather Gods blessed us with sunshine and warm temps as we made our way to the North Warehouse for the Cultivation Classic, an event that was held by Willamette Week, Cascadia Labs, and Farma. This event was the first of it’s kind here in Oregon, a competition where growers submitted samples of flower that were soil-grown, using only organic methods. The samples in question were judged by local tastemakers in the area and the Cultivation Classic is where the winners were to be announced.

Upon arriving we were met with a medium sized line that moved rather quickly, given our swag bags which included samples from a few Cultivation Classic sponsors and were on our way. Inside attendees were treated to vendor booths, weeducation, food, and music. Many of the vendor booths had samples, swag, and some games to win fun extras.

The lines for the booths weren’t terribly long, most of the wait was due to the influx of questions attendees had regarding the strains they were given and information on the companies handing out said samples. At two different booths I was behind some people older than myself. It was interesting to hear their questions and see their reactions as they processed this information. At the Bud Rub booth I was behind an older married couple that were new to cannabis topicals and their main questions was: “how is it that you don’t get high?”. Explaining topicals and their gift of alleviating pain with cannabis but not getting high has to be exhaustingly fun! An older gentleman at the Sons of Agronomy booth was visiting from out of town, and seeing something like the Cultivation Classic celebrating cannabis and enjoying it in public was something he hadn’t experienced before. I wonder what goes through the heads of the older generation trying cannabis for the first time, given the fact that they were so misinformed in the past.

Weeducation talks were conducted by leaders in the industry who were sharing their knowledge on organic growing methods for the many growers, soon to be growers, and general weed nerds in attendance. For those who were there just to enjoy the culture, there was an outdoor area to relax in the sun to with great music, food, drinks, and of course weed. After finding an empty table, I lit up one of the joints I had and just started to people watch. As my high progressed I got this overwhelming feeling of love as I watched people gleefully pass joints and blunts to one another. There aren’t many places for weed smokers to converge and mingle while we smoke, so events like this are important for that reason alone. The fact that they help educate and spread awareness is an added bonus.

Soon the munchies kicked in. After a 5mg dose of Drip’s Salted Caramel medicated ice cream, a couple puffs off the Herbalizer, and a whole joint to  myself, all I could think of was FOOD. There were plenty of options for all to snack on: tacos from the Taco Pedaler, vegan or veggie options from Eatin’ Alive, and burgers from PDX Sliders. All the food looked great, but the smell of grilled animal flesh really got me going, so I decided to try the Sellwood from PDX Sliders. That gorgeous, delicious-ass burger didn’t stand a chance against Mrs. Nice Guy! Suja Juice and Just Chill were offering free beverages for parched event attendees, but if you were looking for something with more hops, there was a beer garden, which is rare for cannabis events in Portland.

Later in the afternoon, Oregon Rep. and cannabis activist Earl Blumenauer announced the winners:

• Top indoor-grown THC strain: Jack Herer, grown by Garden Terrace Farms
• Top greenhouse-grown THC strain: Jack Herer, grown by Hill Fire
• Top outdoor-grown THC strain: Purple Hindu Kush, grown by Alter Farms
• Top CBD strain: Fisher’s CBD, greenhouse grown by Essential Agronomy
• Top strain with a one-to-one CBD to THC ratio: Cannatonic, grown indoors by Newcleus Nurseries

If you’re new in town or just interested in attending any of the many, MANY cannabis events, I highly recommend giving them a shot. A good time is guaranteed, and most of them give you the opportunity to smoke, get free shit, and make new friends. These events are also beneficial if you’re looking to break into the industry. Many well known members in the cannabusiness community are usually among the crowds and volunteers, not just behind the booths. The ladies from Women Grow were in attendance, as were many local activists. At the very least, nothing beats soaking in some Portland culture and people watching, especially in a city where the motto is “Keep Portland Weird”.

OOOH! SN: The samples, oh the samples! They were literally putting weed in your hands, and as you can see I made out like a bandit!

Thanks again to Willamette Weekly for allowing me to attend the cultivation Classic.