Cannabis Cup: People’s Choice Edition Headed To Southern California This December

High Times, the most recognizable name in cannabis, announced on Friday that its Cannabis Cup: People’s Choice Edition series of competitions would make a stop in Southern California later this year. High Times pivoted to the series of home-judged events after restrictions put in place in response to the coronavirus pandemic forced the suspension of its signature cannabis product competition festivals earlier this year.

For the first time, the Cannabis Cup SoCal: People’s Choice Edition will feature judging kits delivered directly to consumers by the new High Times Delivery service. The company, which has been a leading voice in the cannabis community since 1974, announced in June that it was launching the new retail venture High Times Delivery in select California markets.

Categories and Contestants

The Cannabis Cup SoCal: People’s Choice Edition will include ten competition categories including indica flower; sativa flower; hybrid flower; sungrown flower; pre-rolls; solvent concentrates; non-solvent concentrates; vape pens and cartridges; edibles; and topicals + tinctures + capsules. The competition is the first High Times Cannabis Competition with judging open to the 21+ public to be held in Southern California, and promises to field the largest pool of judges in the region ever. The events offer licensed cannabis brands the opportunity to put their products in the hands of discerning consumers and then receive valuable feedback from the pool of citizen judges. The competition will not be blind and will allow all brands to submit their products with the packaging, branding, and other information they typically use when selling to their regular customers.

Participation in the Cannabis Cup SoCal: People’s Choice Edition is open to cannabis businesses licensed by the California Bureau of Cannabis Control, California Department of Public Health, or California Department of Food and Agriculture, as appropriate. The competition is open to licensed recreational cannabis products manufactured in California only. Entry quantity requirements are 228 one-gram units of flower, 228 pre-rolls, 228 vape pens or cartridges, 228 half-gram units of concentrates, or 60 units of edibles or topicals. Entry fees are $500 for one entry, $250 per entry for two entries, and High Times will waive all entry fees for three or more entries.

Entry intake for the Cannabis Cup SoCal: People’s Choice Edition is scheduled for December 1 through 4. Judging kits will be available to adults 21 and older exclusively through High Times Delivery, with the pre-sale starting Dec 5 and deliveries beginning on December 9, making them a perfect treat for seasonal self-gifting or an enviable holiday present for the cannabis aficionado on your list. Product ratings can be submitted during the judging timeframe, scheduled for December 9 through January 20, 2021. Competition results will be announced via a digital awards show slated for Sunday, January 24 at 4:20 p.m. PDT.

High Times announced in March that it was taking its legendary series of cannabis competitions online and into consumers’ homes in response to the coronavirus outbreak. The inaugural High Times Hemp Cup, which had been scheduled to take place as a traditional in-person event in Austin, Texas, was instead held online on April 4, recognizing winners in eight categories. The events have continued through the summer and into autumn, making additional stops in Colorado, Oklahoma, and Illinois. Judging kits for the Cannabis Cup Oregon: People’s Choice Edition, delayed by the fires that have been ravaging the West Coast this summer, will be available in late October, with results scheduled to be announced on December 6.