Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
The Oregon State Fair might need to break out some green ribbons – marijuana is moving in.
This year's fair, which runs through Labor Day, is in many regards your typical celebration of Americana, but with marijuana newly legalized for recreational use, it also means an opportunity for Oregon's burgeoning cannabis industry – one that could soon lead to plants and edibles entered alongside orchids and apple pies in juried competitions.
Nestled into the exhibition hall full of vendors, near the kitchen knives and brooms, is a massive setup from the Oregon Cannabis Business Council, a local trade association that helps promote post-production cannabis businesses.
Carolyn Morse, wife of council president Donald Morse, held down the fort Wednesday afternoon, educating curious passers by drawn in by the giant green cross emblazoned on a banner above her.
"This is the first year of all the 150 years of the Oregon State Fair that the word 'cannabis' has been on anything," she said excitedly. "We don't want to sell or get it out there, but we want to take it to the next level of education."
This first year the council is taking a more conservative approach, leaving all plants and products behind, relying on stacks of literature and local experts to educate folks about the newly-legalized drug.
That approach appeared to work in their favor. Morse said they had received an overwhelmingly positive response, with only a few people walking away in a huff. That tune could change in the near future, however, if the cannabis council succeeds in increasing its involvement in the fair.
According to Morse the plan is to have cannabis plants added as a new category in the horticultural competition, handing out awards not for the dried buds but for the full plants themselves.
From there, she said she'd like to see edibles entered into baking competitions, leaving open the possibility of a blue ribbon pot brownie bake-off somewhere down the road.
"We need to prove ourselves here first and then take it to the next level," Morse explained.
But to get to that next level, they'll first need to sway Oregon State Fair officials, who are being cagey about cannabis' future on the fairgrounds.
On one hand, "they're a vendor that's no different from the guy that's selling ShamWows," fair spokesman Dan Cox said, a simple "reflection of our culture."
On the other hand, all that dreaming of blue ribbon marijuana might be a step too far.
"None of those conversations have even begun yet," Cox said of possible cannabis plant competitions. And the pot brownie bake-offs? "I can't even begin to speculate about that."
But that doesn't mean the leaders in Oregon's cannabis industry can't keep dreaming. The simple fact that they have a spot at the fair, that the word "cannabis" is in the main exhibition hall, is a big deal.
"We're just taking baby steps," Morse said. "We would have never guessed we'd be doing anything like this."
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Cannabis Industry Finds A Foothold At The Oregon State Fair
Author: Jamie Hale
Contact: Contact Author
Photo Credit: The Associated Press
Website: Oregon Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - OregonLive.com
This year's fair, which runs through Labor Day, is in many regards your typical celebration of Americana, but with marijuana newly legalized for recreational use, it also means an opportunity for Oregon's burgeoning cannabis industry – one that could soon lead to plants and edibles entered alongside orchids and apple pies in juried competitions.
Nestled into the exhibition hall full of vendors, near the kitchen knives and brooms, is a massive setup from the Oregon Cannabis Business Council, a local trade association that helps promote post-production cannabis businesses.
Carolyn Morse, wife of council president Donald Morse, held down the fort Wednesday afternoon, educating curious passers by drawn in by the giant green cross emblazoned on a banner above her.
"This is the first year of all the 150 years of the Oregon State Fair that the word 'cannabis' has been on anything," she said excitedly. "We don't want to sell or get it out there, but we want to take it to the next level of education."
This first year the council is taking a more conservative approach, leaving all plants and products behind, relying on stacks of literature and local experts to educate folks about the newly-legalized drug.
That approach appeared to work in their favor. Morse said they had received an overwhelmingly positive response, with only a few people walking away in a huff. That tune could change in the near future, however, if the cannabis council succeeds in increasing its involvement in the fair.
According to Morse the plan is to have cannabis plants added as a new category in the horticultural competition, handing out awards not for the dried buds but for the full plants themselves.
From there, she said she'd like to see edibles entered into baking competitions, leaving open the possibility of a blue ribbon pot brownie bake-off somewhere down the road.
"We need to prove ourselves here first and then take it to the next level," Morse explained.
But to get to that next level, they'll first need to sway Oregon State Fair officials, who are being cagey about cannabis' future on the fairgrounds.
On one hand, "they're a vendor that's no different from the guy that's selling ShamWows," fair spokesman Dan Cox said, a simple "reflection of our culture."
On the other hand, all that dreaming of blue ribbon marijuana might be a step too far.
"None of those conversations have even begun yet," Cox said of possible cannabis plant competitions. And the pot brownie bake-offs? "I can't even begin to speculate about that."
But that doesn't mean the leaders in Oregon's cannabis industry can't keep dreaming. The simple fact that they have a spot at the fair, that the word "cannabis" is in the main exhibition hall, is a big deal.
"We're just taking baby steps," Morse said. "We would have never guessed we'd be doing anything like this."
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Cannabis Industry Finds A Foothold At The Oregon State Fair
Author: Jamie Hale
Contact: Contact Author
Photo Credit: The Associated Press
Website: Oregon Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - OregonLive.com
