Photo: ABC10
By Hunter Dublin | July 15, 2022
The recently-held California State Fair has announced the winners of the state’s first-ever marijuana competition. Bestowing 60 trophies and medals to companies whose goods were assessed based on lab testing for purity and cannabinoid characteristics.
The competition was initially announced late last year in celebration of the state’s cannabis business being recognized as a real market that is no longer handled differently from other commodities.
“Adding cannabis cultivation, alongside wine, craft beer, cheese, and olive oil was a perfect fit with the CA State Fair’s history of celebrating California’s rich agricultural history,” said California Exposition & State Fair Board of Director Chair Jess Durfee in a press release announcing the winners on Thursday.
More than 300 entries were submitted in 10 categories across three grow-type divisions (indoor, outdoor, and mixed light). These classifications were based on cannabinoid concentrations in components like CBDa, CBGa, and THCa, as well as terpenes like Myrcene, Limonene, and Pinene. MOCA Humboldt, Esensia, and Greenshock Farms are among the top winners.
SC Labs, situated in California, handled the competition’s analytic testing. The lab’s “PhytoFact” report, which breaks down cannabinoid profiles, scents, tastes, and effects related to the tested goods, is included on the Fair’s page listing awards.
“Award-winning cannabis is the result of meticulous attention, craft, and expertise in the drying, curing, and preservation of the most transitory quality indicators that cannabis produces—terpenes and other trace volatile chemicals contained in every specific cultivar,” stated SC Labs co-founder Alec Dixon.
The award-winning goods will be displayed at the State Fair, which runs from July 15 to July 31. Adults 21 and above will be able to learn about the science of marijuana and the history of cannabis growing in California. However, no on-site drinking or sales will be permitted at the expo.
“We enjoy the science-based lab testing involved with this competition and are thrilled to be a part of the iconic CA State Fair,” said Aaron Salles, Vice President of Marketing and Sales at MOCA Humboldt. “This collaboration gives our sector respectability and allows us to educate people about the various advantages of the cannabis plant.”
The California Exhibition & State Fair is a legally created autonomous state agency under California’s food and agricultural law. Governor Gavin Newsom (D) and many state legislators are ex-officio members of the Fair’s board of directors.
On the opposite side of the nation, officials in New York stated ahead of last year’s State Fair that, because cannabis was allowed in the state, adults could consume marijuana everywhere tobacco use was authorized.
