High Times Cannabis Cup 2012

From November 18th to the 22nd, the Amsterdam Roest hosted the annual High Times Cannabis Cup. Presenting perhaps the smallest expo in the Cup's history, the format also changed slightly, resembling a more typical American festival layout. The main expo was housed in an old warehouse, with a trendy bar/café and outdoor eating space just beyond. Behind that was a large, 'indoor' tent with a lounge area, plus the stage where the speakers and daytime performers appeared before varied audiences.

From November 18^th to the 22^nd, the Amsterdam Roest hosted the annual High Times Cannabis Cup. Presenting perhaps the smallest expo in the Cup's history, the format also changed slightly, resembling a more typical American festival layout. The main expo was housed in an old warehouse, with a trendy bar/café and outdoor eating space just beyond. Behind that was a large, 'indoor' tent with a lounge area, plus the stage where the speakers and daytime performers appeared before varied audiences.

Keeping the possession limit in mind, one can imagine how difficult it would have been for the coffeeshops to exhibit their strain entries: the various dabs, bong rips, vaporizer hits, pipe tokes or free joints that are usually offered to judges are nearly impossible to supply with only five grams per staff member. The larger coffeeshops, with more workers at the expo, would theoretically be able to smoke up more people; however, those big booths are often more heavily-visited and therefore require more weed and hash in stock. Smaller coffeeshops would have even less of a chance, with some only bringing one or two people to staff their stand. Five grams doesn't last long anywhere, much less at the Cannabis Cup.

Rumours attributed the reduced size of the expo to the looming threat from the members-only 'Weed Pass', which has been implemented in the southern provinces of the Netherlands for nearly a year. It seems irrational that would-be judges declined to attend for fear of being unable to enter the twenty-five Amsterdam coffeeshops that were competing, as the Pass was not even scheduled to outlaw foreign visitation until January of 2013. At any rate, the Mayor of Amsterdam's recent refusal to implement the Weed Pass alleviated any such concerns. This legal conundrum shall be revisited and re-contemplated next year, which potentially explains the suggestion that 2012 presented the last-ever Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam. However, for the past five years or so, murmuring about the 'last Cup ever' has been rife.

The separation between the performers' tent and the expo meant that Cup visitors had to choose to attend one or the other, often missing parts of speeches or performances. Lecturers included Wernard Bruining, founder of Positronics, explaining his method of producing 'Rick Simpson oil', Robert Connell Clarke, international expert on Cannabis botany and author of Hashish!, Marijuana Botany and others, Mila's 'Concentrates v. Hashish', and Nol van Schaik discussing the Weed Pass situation. Of course there were also cultivation FAQs, hemp information and more. The plus side to the smaller expo was that attendees had more time to alternately attend seminars and then chat with the vendors while checking out their entries.

A smaller, more intimate festival than usual, it seems as if the Cannabis Cup is returning to its roots: a group of weed-loving folks gathering together to celebrate the harvest, in good company.

And the winners are...

Freedom Fighter of the Year: Mason Tvert, instrumental in the passage of Colorado's Amendment 64

Dutch Master Award Honorees: Wernard Bruining and Nol van Schaik

Counter-Culture Hall of Fame Inductee: Steve Hager, Founder of the Cannabis Cup

Seed Companies:

INDICA

First: Kosher Kush – Reserva Privada

Second: True OG – Elemental Seeds

Third: S.F.V. OG Kush – Cali Connection

SATIVA

First: Amnesia Haze – Soma's Sacred Seeds

Second: Sour Amnesia – HortiLab Seed Company

Third: Green Shack – Strain Hunters Seedbank

HYBRID

First: Loud Scout – Loud Seeds

Second: Rock Star – Bonguru Beans

Third: Rug Burn OG – Rare Dankness Seeds

HASH

First: The Wheezy – Reserva Privada

Second: Tangerine Compound – Rare Dankness Seeds

Third: The Tangie – DNA Genetics

CBD AWARD

Lion's Tabernacle – Cali Connection

Coffeeshops:

CANNABIS CUP

First: Flower Bomb Kush – Green House

Second: Shoreline – Green Place

Third: Evergrey – Grey Area

NEDERHASH

First: Lemon Crystal – Green House

Second: Grey Crystal – Grey Area

Third: M.O.G. – Green Place

IMPORT HASH

First: Sharkberry Cream – Green House

Second: Twizzler – Green Place

Third: Maroc Lemon Haze – The Bushdocter

Expo:

BEST BOOTH

First: Big Buddha Seeds

Second: Cali Connection

Third: ROOR

BEST PRODUCT

First: Big Buddha Seeds Goodie Bag – Big Buddha Seeds

Second: PUFFiT Inhaler/Vaporizer – VapoShop and Discreet Vape

Third: Tiny Sister – ROOR

BEST GLASS

First: Drill Bill – ROOR

Second: Puk Pipe – Puk Pipe

Third: MF Doom Borch – DNA Genetics and Hitman Glass