Fun and Festive

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]C[/dropcap]annabis festivals in California got more than they bargained for this year, after a few hiccups caused chaos and last-minute decisions. Some event organizers, with up to tens of thousands of attendees expected, had to improvise or completely cancel their events at the last minute.

California’s new set of regulations are still rolling out. The Bureau of Cannabis Control now has power over Special Events licenses, and local municipalities also have control over what events take place if they involve cannabis. In layman’s terms, there are now a lot more approvals and licenses required for any cannabis event—and it hasn’t gone over smoothly for everyone.

Photo courtesy Mega Sesh

Several of Southern California cities have already intervened. Recently on March 27, the City of Long Beach pulled the plug for Her Royal Highness, an unusual event planned to be held on The Queen Mary ocean liner. While the event wasn’t a consumption event and only had hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) products, organizers still ran into problems. Notably in April, the San Bernardino City Council denied a temporary cannabis event license for the High Times 420 SoCal Cannabis Cup, just one day before the festivities. While consumption on the premises was legal, vendors weren’t allowed to sell cannabis, and some vendors ended up pulling out of the event. Other upcoming cannabis events could also face unexpected setbacks.

Mega Sesh is the “World’s Largest Cannabis Community Carnival & Festival” and has dealt with the National Orange Show (NOS) Event Center in San Bernardino, the same massive venue that has worked with High Times and other cannabis events. The event is organized by Compassesh.

“It’s hard to blame any one person or organization,” Dan Rocha, founder of Mega Sesh and 420 Web Pros told CULTURE. “2018 is proving to be an interesting year for the cannabis industry as a whole, events included. In years past when cannabis was still only medical here in California, events looked different than they’re being asked to look like today. For instance, now that cannabis is recreationally legal here in California, only licensed retailers and microbusinesses [that retail] will be allowed to sell directly to consumers.”

Lately, it’s been harder for organizers to obtain the right permissions that allow vendors to sell cannabis at events. “From an event organizer’s standpoint, it definitely makes it a more challenging pitch for a manufacturer to have a booth at your show when they’re unable to sell cannabis directly to consumers—but not impossible,” Rocha said. “And there are ways event organizers can add value for those guys too; it’s up to the event organizers now to get creative while still complying with the law.”

“It’s hard to blame any one person or organization. 2018 is proving to be an interesting year for the cannabis industry as a whole, events included. In years past when cannabis was still only medical here in California, events looked different than they’re being asked to look like today.”

Dancing around venue issues opens up a can of worms, but doesn’t mean that cannabis events cannot adapt to new regulations that are suddenly being imposed. “My best advice for avoiding these types of issues is preparation,” said Rocha. “Assume the worst, prepare for it, and be fluid. Being in the cannabis industry has always presented hurdles, and as an industry and as a community; we always overcome them. The guys at High Times are pioneers in many ways; they too will figure it out.”

Photo courtesy Mega Sesh

Rocha has seen first-hand how venue plans can fall apart unexpectedly, and how venue operators may not even know what is legal. “These are just growing pains for now,” Rocha explained. “The law voted on makes cannabis events restricted to one of 80 California-owned Agriculture Centers/Fairgrounds only after those locations have set their cannabis event policies. Once an event center approves cannabis events, the local city where the event is held also has say. They didn’t before.”

As of late April, the location and date for the next Mega Sesh has still yet to be determined, although it is slated for June 2018 in Southern California.

Visit www.megasesh.com for updated details on the next event.