Another trailblazing moment first for those who blaze up: Next month’s California State Fair will have legal cannabis sales and consumption, the first-ever state fair with pot being smoked legally on-site.
It was back in 2022 when the California State Fair added a cannabis competition and exhibition to its existing agriculture industry competitions for wine, olive oil, craft beer and such, adding a new attraction among the fair’s 4-H booths and livestock contests. But you could not actually smoke that marijuana, you could just look at it and talk to the growers.
Still, it smelled like something was up when Governor Gavin Newsom legalized cannabis sales and use at county fairs the following summer.
Now it’s time to reap that harvest. Sacramento’s KCRA reports that there will indeed be legal marijuana sales and a smoking area at this year’s California State Fair, which begins Friday, July 12 at the Cal Expo Fairgrounds in Sacramento. The fair is billing this as "the first time cannabis will be legally sold at a state fair."
The sales and smoking area would be separate, gated off, and 21+, just like beer gardens or the Grass Lands area at Outside Lands.
“This initiative spotlights the significant role of cannabis in California’s agricultural industry, marking a major milestone in the state fair’s 170-year history,” the fair’s Cannabis Competition and Exhibit executive producer James Leitz said in a Tuesday press release. “Expanding the competition to include all form factors and providing patrons the opportunity to directly engage with and consume winning brands is transformational for public understanding of the plant.”
“Directly engage with.” That’s going to be my new go-to euphemism for smoking weed.
The fair’s cannabis competition will also happen for the third straight year. But this year’s competition will expand to include categories like pre-rolls, concentrates, cartridges, edibles, beverages and “wellness products.” The nominees, winners, and exhibitors for this year’s dedicated cannabis area have not yet been announced.
This year’s California State Fair runs July 12-28, and ticket sales have not yet started.
But there are many other reasons to finally make that trip to the California State Fair this year if you haven’t gone before. This year’s concert line-up includes Wilson Phillips, WAR, Patti Labelle, and Flo Rida. When you get the munchies, you can nosh on Deep-Fried Oreos and other wacky fair foods, plus there will be pig races for your entertainment.
Image: Weed Pride News via Facebook
