Zack Ruskin, Leafly.
Move over cotton candy and hog races because there’s a major new attraction coming to the California State Fair in 2022. Today, officials announced details for a first-ever, state-sanctioned cannabis competition and award event, set to debut next July at the Cal Expo Fairgrounds in Sacramento, California. Dried, cured cannabis bud entries are due starting November. Nice.
The newly minted CA State Fair Cannabis Competition and Awards will be joining a crowded field. There are longstanding cannabis competitions held in the state, including the Emerald Cup and the High Times Cannabis Cup NorCal. But it stands alone in being the first competition that has the backing of the state in crowning favored flower as the best in California.
Cal Expo is thrilled to be adding California Cannabis to our list of competitions at the State Fair, which includes our best-in-class wines, cheeses, craft beers, olive oils, and fine arts, among others…We look forward to recognizing California’s legal cannabis industry with a science-based and first-of-its-kind event.
– Jess Durfee, Board of Director, California Exposition & State Fair
It also represents a major new draw for the 166-year-old California State Fair, which has long attracted its weed lovers with amusement park rides and deep-fried munchies. It’s also the crown jewel of the international fair circuit. On display—the best California has to offer when it comes to…