Alain Riquelmy
SACRAMENTO, California (CN) — The history of hashish takes place at the California State Fair and if you don’t know it’s there, you might miss it.
Behind a monolithic building, in front of museum-like exhibits that take the visitor on an adventure about the chronology of the marijuana plant, is the first hashish sales and consumption area at a state fair.
Not the California State Fair, organizers said. Any state fair.
“We’re making history,” said Embarc co-founder Dustin Moore. “This has happened. “
Embarc has partnered with Fair Play Ventures to create the latest edition of the show’s hash show. Since 2022, a hashish festival has been held at the fair. This year, after having the opportunity to talk to growers and sellers, attendees will be able to purchase hashish and consume it in an eating area.
Part of this mastery is a whole prepared position. A domain for sellers in position on Wednesday in preparation for the opening day on Friday. The couches were covered by a blanket, providing respite from the sweltering California sun.
Smoking is allowed in this area. The larger intake site, where smoking is allowed, remained under construction midweek. Participants will follow a predetermined path to this location, approximately 20,000 square feet, where more tables and chairs will be set up, as well as panelists and music. welcome them.
Both sites, Moore said, are for normal climbers. People can stop at the fair without even knowing that there is cannabis.
Moore admitted that this contradicted one of the aims of the exhibition: to remove the stigma of hashish and normalise it.
But, like the legalization of hashish in California, these are small steps.
James Leitz of Fair Play Ventures and executive producer of the hashish festival and expo, gently recalls the state of hashish in California before 2016, when Proposition 64, the ballot initiative that legalized marijuana in the Golden State, was adopted.
Ten years ago, Leitz would have believed it was possible to sell and receive products at the state fair.
“It’s huge,” Leitz said. It is the first in the country. It’s just that hashish is legal. “
A visitor to the hashish exhibition can see how people’s attitudes towards hashish have evolved over time.
The exhibition is housed in a giant building just steps from the main entrance. Upon entering, one of the first things the guest will see will be what appear to be hash plants.
Moore confided in others that that is not the case. Instead, they are made from hemp.
“The hemp plant is hashish because of the regulations,” he said.
Regulation plays a role in the history of cannabis, as well as today.
A chronology of hashish over the decades is displayed on the walls. Attendees will see a poster for “Reefer Madness,” an anti-marijuana film from the 1930s that is now considered a cult classic. Cannabis used to challenge immigrants and jazz culture. The war on drugs is not far behind.
“It’s about education,” Leitz said. “This with education. ”
The story continues to evolve over the years. The voices of those who use hashish as medicine began to be heard. The 1990s brought legal medical marijuana to California.
And then, around the corner, the visitor can see the gold and silver medal winners in crops such as sun, combined light, cartridges, edibles and beverages.
Nearby, a stall where other people can buy terpene-infused slushies, a reproduction of the popular wine slushies discovered at the fair. Terpenes are to blame for the distinctive smell of many plants, including cannabis.
Tremors, Moore said, intoxicating.
Cannabis has struggled since it was legalized on January 1, 2018. Sales in 2021 totaled $5. 35 billion, followed by $4. 9 billion in sales in 2022 and $4. 89 billion in 2023.
State legislative analysts estimated in May that the state would earn $649 million in hashish tax revenue in the 2023-24 fiscal year. While that’s $16 million less than Gov. Gavin Newsom’s forecast in May, the analyst company forecasts $727 million in fiscal profits in Fiscal Year 2024-25.
“Everyone expected hashish to be a blessing,” said David Hafner, the State Department’s media chief for cannabis control.
Although hashish brings in a lot of money for the state, Hafner noted that 40% of California has licensed hashish retailers. This leaves important areas of the state in a desert of hashish. Exposure to cannabis plays a role in the socialization and normalization of hashish.
“Having it in the state is the next step,” he added.
Hafner’s workplace will have a compliance team on site to ensure certain regulations are met, and there are many. The showroom is limited to those over 21 years of age. There is no smoking place on Fridays and Saturdays. However, smoking is allowed on all other days, except on July 19, when Oktoberfest is held for the fair.
The California State Fair at Cal Expo, 1600 Exposition Blvd. , Sacramento, will be held July 12-28.
Organizers remain cautiously positive about the show’s climate. The Sacramento area has experienced a heat wave in recent days, with mercury levels above 100.
Exhibitors expect temperatures to be too high.