In addition to judging this year’s entries to the Amsterdam Cannabis Cup, our pot critic Jake Browne has also been reporting from the city’s ganja district on the Cup’s recent troubles — which saw its ever-popular expo getting shut down by city officials.
On Monday, Browne caught up with High Times’ cultivation editor Nico Escondido about the event’s troubles. Escondido first reminded folks that much of the Cup is still happening.
“The Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam was not shut down,” Escondido told Browne. “Our expo was unfortunately put on hold this year, but the Cup is about more than just an expo. It’s about the people, and it’s about the plant.
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“The people are all here — 3,000 strong — and the competition is still going on. We have concert parties each night at the Melkweg, as well as seminars, and on Thursday night we will hand out awards for the best marijuana on planet Earth. Seed companies and coffee shops are competing, and the Cup-goers are packing out every coffee shop in town in search of this year’s winner.”
The irony of marijuana legality issues in “pot-friendly” Holland isn’t lost on Escondido.
“It’s unfortunate that the land that once liberated cannabis has now taken a conservative approach to its use,” he said. “However, like everything else in this world, it is cyclical. I believe that the marijuana outlook in Amsterdam and the Netherlands as a whole will one day come back around to the point of tolerance and acceptance.
“But until then we will respect the Dutch and appreciate the fact we have done this event here for the past 26 years. But for now, we look ahead to Thursday’s night’s closing ceremonies — and then on to the LA Cup in February!”
In other Cup news, High Times will host its first major event in Portland, Oregon in July 2015 — and they also announced the dates for their flagship event, the U.S. Cannabis Cup in Denver in April 2015.
