I think we have all had that person that we have been attracted to that flirts with us a bit, gets our hopes up, but nothing ever materializes. I know I’ve had my fare share of those scenarios. Those types of situations remind me of the High Times Cannabis Cup and my home state, Oregon. I have posted multiple articles begging High Times to bring their Cannabis Cup event to Oregon. I have attended them in other states, and they are like nothing Oregon has ever seen before.
After Oregon voted to legalize recreational marijuana in late 2014, High Times announced plans to bring the Cup to Portland, at that time projected for July 2015. Due to the lameness that is Oregon sometimes, and complications from the OLCC, the Cup was delayed. It seemed like it was never going to happen. Then, High Times announced that it was putting in for a permit in Milwaukie, and I thought things were going to finally work out. That proved to not be the case. High Times has now officially halted plans for a 2015 Cup, and will instead turn their eyes to 2016. Per High Times:
As of 5 p.m. PST on August 31, HIGH TIMES withdrew its Temporary Event Application to hold its 2015 Oregon Cannabis Cup in the City of Milwaukie, Oregon.
“Bringing the HIGH TIMES Cannabis Cup to Oregon has proven to be a Herculean task— in fact, it’s been the most difficult of all of our Cannabis Cups to get off the ground,” HIGH TIMES Event Director Amanda Younger explained.
HIGH TIMES commenced work on its inaugural Portland-area Cannabis Cup in early 2015. While Oregonians were elated to have such an event close to home, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) made it effectively impossible to bring the Cannabis Cup to Portland.
“A small HIGH TIMES Cannabis Cup draws upwards of 5000 attendees,” Younger said, “and Portland-area venues that can accommodate such volume inevitably have liquor licenses. The OLCC made extremely clear that holding a Cannabis Cup at a venue with a liquor license would put that liquor license in jeopardy of being revoked, regardless of whether or not liquor would be served at the Cannabis Cup.”
Most of the time I love Oregon, but there are times when Oregon sucks, and this is one of those times. I tip my hat to the people at High Times who have worked very hard to make this event happen, far harder than they have ever had to work to try to land a venue I’m sure. They can only do what they can do, knowing that the OLCC can be a huge buzz kill, and has been for years. Hopefully 2016 proves to be more promising!
