Cannabis Cup

The tradition & historical record

The High Times Cannabis Cup is a cannabis festival sponsored by High Times magazine. The event features judges from around the world who sample and vote for their favorite marijuana varieties, with cups (trophies) being awarded to the overall winner in the cannabis variety competition. Since 1997, the Cannabis Cup festival has hosted induction ceremonies for the Counterculture Hall of Fame. Founded in 1988 by High Times editor Steven Hager, the Cannabis Cup is usually held each November in Amsterdam. The first U.S. Cannabis Cup was held in 1995 by Rob Robinson and Damn Sam Productions; High Times now holds Cannabis Cups in Northern and Southern California, Denver, Michigan, Seattle, Missouri, and Oregon. The High Times Medical Cannabis Cup recognizes medical marijuana in states that have passed medical marijuana laws. The High Times Cannabis Cup also includes live music, educational seminars, and an expo for marijuana-related products from cannabis-oriented businesses. ¹

A DVD called High Times Presents: The Cannabis Cup was made after the 2003 festival. The 20th High Times Cannabis Cup, held in 2007, featured hosts Tommy Chong and Redman; a film of the 2007 festival was released in the summer of 2008. In 2010, Dutch police raided the Amsterdam Cannabis Cup location. That same year, High Times mounted its first Cannabis Cup in the United States, also inaugurating the High Times Medical Cannabis Cup, an annual event celebrating medical cannabis. The first Medical Cannabis Cup took place in San Francisco, California, on June 19–20, 2010. In 2014, after 27 years, Amsterdam held what appeared to be its final High Times Cannabis Cup. This decision was partly due to the growing uncertainty about Dutch cannabis laws, the newly available legal cannabis locations in the United States and various other countries, and the after-effects of the 2010 raid. (The Cannabis Cup later returned to Amsterdam.) In 2017, the festival celebrated its 30th anniversary, with the award show hosted by Danny Danko. In 2018, the festival was held in the middle of summer, on 13th to 15 July, veering away from its usual schedule. ¹

Award categories include Best New Product, Best Booth, Best Glass, Best Hash, and Best Nederhash (hashish that is produced only in the Netherlands). A team of VIP judges decides which seed company has grown the Best Indica, Best Sativa, and Best Hybrid Strain, and which company has produced the Best Nederhash and Best Imported Hash. The U.S. Cannabis Cup recognizes marijuana in states that have passed laws that legalize marijuana for adult, recreational use. Teams of expert judges vote on Best Indica, Best Sativa, Best Hybrid, Best Concentrates, Best Edibles, and Highest Level of CBD in cannabis products (All cannabis products are tested for THC content and CBD content by independent cannabis-testing laboratories). At each U.S. Cannabis Cup expo, festival attendees vote for Best Booth, Best Products, and Best Glass. ¹

The Counterculture Hall of Fame celebrates the history of the counterculture and the people who helped shape it. Previous inductees include Bob Marley (1997), Louis Armstrong (1998), William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, and Jack Kerouac (1999), Bob Dylan (2002), Jack Herer (2003), Tommy Chong and Cheech Marin (2007), Peter Tosh (2008) Tom Forcade (2009) and Coke La Rock (2010). John Griggs, BEL (2011), Steven Hager (2012), Ben Dronkers (2013), and Alexander Shulgin & Ann Shulgin (2014). ¹

1st Cup 1988 — Skunk #1 from Cultivator's Choice 2nd Cup 1989 — Early Pearl/Skunk #1 x Northern Lights #5/Haze from the Seed Bank 3rd Cup 1990 — Northern Lights #5 from the Seed Bank 4th Cup 1991 — Skunk from Free City 5th Cup 1992: Haze x Skunk #1 from Homegrown Fantasy Master Kush Winner— Hindu Kush X Skunk #1 6th Cup 1993: Haze x Northern Lights #5 from Sensi Seed Bank Master Kush Winner — Hindu Kush X Skunk #1 7th Cup 1994 — Jack Herer from Sensi Seed Bank 8th Cup 1995 — White Widow from the Green House 9th Cup 1996 — White Russian from De Dampkring 10th Cup 1997 — Peace Maker from De Dampkring 11th Cup 1998 — Super Silver Haze from the Green House 12th Cup 1999 — Super Silver Haze from the Green House 13th Cup 2000 — Blueberry from the Noon 14th Cup 2001 — Sweet Tooth from Barney's 15th Cup 2002 — Morning Glory from Barney's 16th Cup 2003 — Hawaiian Snow from Green House 17th Cup 2004 — Amnesia Haze from Barney's 18th Cup 2005 — Willie Nelson from Barney's 19th Cup 2006 — Arjan's Ultra Haze #1 from Green House 20th Cup 2007 — G-13 Haze from Barney's 21st Cup 2008 — Super Lemon Haze from Green House United 22nd Cup 2009 — Super Lemon Haze from Green House United 23rd Cup 2010 — Tangerine Dream from Barney's 24th Cup 2011 — Liberty Haze from Barney's 25th Cup 2012 — Flower Bomb Kush from the Green House 26th Cup 2013 — Rollex OG Kush from The Green Place 27th Cup 2014 — MaraDawg Blue Flake Cheese Pearl from Chopper Special ¹

Overall Cannabis Cup Amnesia Haze by Barney's Breakfast Bar Killer Green by Katsu Jack Flash by Sensi Seeds Indica Cup God Bud by BC Bud Depot MK Ultra by TH Seeds L.A. Confidential by DNA Genetics Sativa Cup Love Potion No. 1 by Reeferman Seeds Arjan's Haze No. 1 by Green House Seeds Sage 'N Sour by TH Seeds Import Hash Cup Caramella Cream by Barney's Breakfast Bar Royal Cream Gold by Rokerij Nepal Pollen Shoe by Green House Seeds ¹

The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Cannabis Cup”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. ¹

Cannabis Cup is Cannabis competition and festival founded in 1988, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition. ²

The source record links this tradition to 2 external registers, which can be verified through the citation. ²