There are dozens of cannabis competitions and marijuana events in the U.S., but some names stand out from the rest. The DOPE Cup is at the top of the list as a must-visit cannabis festival for potheads and industry professionals alike, drawing massive crowds everywhere they go. What was once an underground counterculture has blossomed into a billion dollar industry that is still in its infancy. There hasn’t been any news surrounding the next event, so what happened to the DOPE Cup? First, let’s talk about prior events and the history of the DOPE Cup.
What is the DOPE Cup?
The DOPE cup is an annual celebration of all things ganja that has been organized by the Seattle-based DOPE Magazine since 2015. It’s one of the top cannabis events and competitions in the world, bringing together marijuana enthusiasts from all walks of life for a day of shopping, new product launches, music performances, and of course lots and lots of smoking. DOPE Cup is a consumption event, though you will find some industry representatives as well. This marijuana event is stoner paradise, complete with mechanical joint riding, a dab bar, infused cotton candy and lots of other edibles on offer. The highlight is the cannabis competition that draws cultivators and glass blowers from around the region and crowns them with the coveted DOPE Cup trophy. Past judges have included heavy hitters like rapper Redman and industry legend, Adam Dunn. Contestants are judged on cannabis flower, edibles, topicals, concentrates, glasswork, and accessories, all broken down into categories such as judges’ choice, people’s choice (yup, you can pay to smoke and be a judge), best indica, best sativa, best hybrid, highest THC/CBD, best topical, best BHO THC/CBD, best edible drink, best edible sweet/savory, and more!
DOPE Cup winners
Winners of the prestigious title range from indie growers to large well-respected cultivators. Secret Gardens of Washington has ranked high on the score cards for many years now. The last official DOPE Cup took place in 2019 and here are some of the winners:
- Indica dry herb - Doc and Yeti Urban Farms, Forbidden Fruit
- Sativa dry herb - Premier Cannabis, Mtn Trop
- Sungrown dry herb - Lazy Bee Gardens, Powder Hound
- CBD dry herb - First Place: Millennium Green, Ringo’s Gift
- Edible - Baked BLVD, Sky High Ranch
- Vaporizers and vape cartridges - Dabstract, Orange Zkittlez Live Resin Pax Pod
- Hybrid concentrates - Sub-X, Cold Smoke – Zkittlez
- CBD concentrates - Blue Forest Farms, Cherry Pie CBD Shatter
- Non-solvent hash - Premier Cannabis, Premier Glue 4.0 Live Rosin
- Topicals - Verdelux (Verdeloo), Salvation Mercy
DOPE Magazine
Founded in Washington in 2011, DOPE Magazine, an acronym for “Defending Our Plant Everywhere”, was a lifestyle publication that first focused on spreading information and research regarding medicinal cannabis in a modern way. In September 2018, DOPE Magazine was acquired by High Times Holding Corp. for a reported $11.2 million. The magazine is still in production and continues to create online content from the High Times Los Angeles headquarters. High Times was founded in California in the 1970s and has grown into a key resource for the cannabis industry with their monthly magazine publication, series of trade shows, and their own cannabis cup events. The company is also rumored to be acquiring a cannabis dispensary chain and also sells High Times branded flower, making it one of the largest and most recognizable cannabis brand in the U.S.
The DOPE Cup 2021
The last DOPE Cup event was held in 2019 after the acquisition of DOPE Magazine by High Times. Fittingly, the free Southern California event was called the High Times DOPE Cup and featured weed-friendly artists Waka Flocka Flame, Soulja Boy, Mike G, and others. Stoners were relieved to see that High Times wanted to continue the beloved event. Unfortunately, with the craziness that was 2020, all cannabis events were cancelled or moved to digital. There is currently no mention of a DOPE Cup 2021 and the future of the event is uncertain. However if you want to get in on the action, the High Times Cannabis Cup 2021 is an online nationwide people’s choice edition to find the best hemp-derived products and is going on right now. The award show will be hosted on May 9, 2021.
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