State fair to host first cannabis competition

The California State Fair is known for hosting some of the best agricultural producers in the state who’ve mastered California staples like wine, olive oil and cheese.

But this year, after a two year hiatus because of COVID-19, the fair is making agricultural history as it announces the first state-agency-sanctioned cannabis competition.

As with their other agricultural competitions, fair organizers said one of their main goals was to educate the public on agricultural products and its industry standards — including those related to cannabis cultivation. “We hope the State Fair Cannabis Competition will help the state fight the black market and encourage licensure for cultivars in California, which keeps cannabis out of the hands of children, as well as guaranteeing a safer, cleaner product for cannabis consumers,” fair organizers wrote on their website.

The 21-and-up event won’t involve any consumption or sale of cannabis on the fairgrounds. The entries will be scored after they undergo a lab analysis that will measure a variety of chemicals and compounds present in cannabis products. They’ll be ranked based on the levels of certain chemicals that give cannabis different flavors and smells and others that produce the plant’s psychoactive effects.

The competition has more than 70 awards in three divisions according to their growing light source: outdoor, mixed light and indoor.

The event is hosted by Brian Applegarth, founder of Cultivar Brands — a marketing and events agency in California that specializes in cannabis and cannabis travel. Applegarth said the plan to host a cannabis competition at the state fair took years of education and demystification on the plant and it’s importance to California.

“I think it’s a platform to really help people understand what cannabis is in our state as an industry,” Applegarth told The Chronicle. “But also hopefully help mainstream consumers understand how cannabis works from medical to wellness to adult use and why those three conversations are all very important in their own right.”

Applegarth explained that on top of educating the public on the science behind cannabis, the event will recount the plant’s history in California.

“It’s also going to talk about the role of cannabis in different communities,” Applegarth said, including people of color who’ve suffered disproportionately during the war on drugs. “And also the queer community and the role of cannabis on the front lines of the AIDS epidemic as the appetite stimulant to really save lives. And it goes beyond.”

The fair opens July 15 and will include other competitions such as best-in-class wines, cheeses, craft beers and olive oils.

“I just really invite everybody to come out and learn about this really complex and very exciting plant and all the capabilities around it because it’s so inclusive,” Applegarth said.