Display Table at this Year’s Emerald Cup

Photo by Rohn Jennings

UPDATE: Go to  Emerald Cup in depth piece here.

Will the day come when High Times disdains indoor marijuana?  Will diesel and warehouse weed be rejected by smokers in favor of sun bud?  This weekend’s Emerald Cup event in Mendocino highlights a new trend in marijuana consumption.

When indoor marijuana first began to be produced in Humboldt in the Eighties, buyers weren’t interested.  “Too small” or “Doesn’t smell right,” they complained.  Eventually though, indoor’s uniform size, consistent appearance and, some people claim, intense mindnumbing qualities led it to become the merchandise of choice for dealers (though for many reasons including flavor and health, growers themselves tend to prefer to smoke the outdoor version).  Nonetheless, indoor pounds routinely sell for at least $3800 while even “primo” outdoor is currently only bringing between $1800 to $2000 for the same quantity.*

Yet, this year’s Emerald Cup no longer allows indoor weed.

The Mendocino Medical Marijuana Emerald Cup is the greener, stonier cousin of Hollywood’s Oscars.  Held each year at Area 101 just North of Laytonville, the event this year had between 400 and 500 visitors with over 70 entries.  Each entry consisted of an ounce of the best of the local harvests. The judges of the event look for distinctive appearance, aroma, and effect as well as inspect trichromes for closeness, intactness, shape, etc.

But, according to Juna Madrone, a resident of Redway, only outdoor pot was allowed to be entered into competition.  I was unable to reach the organizer, Tim Blake but the Cup’s site advocates healthy organic living and its mission statement is “To cultivate awareness and develop wisdom.” Presumably, indoor weed was considered not to meet those standards.

Juna Madrone described the contestants as demonstrably proud of their “natural growing methods.”  According to her, “an acquaintance brought two ounces to Area 101 to submit as entries, one indoor; one outdoor.  The indoor entry was rejected.  ‘We don’t want that here.’”

Madrone was there tabling on behalf of a group of organizers against diesel grown marijuana because of the harmful side effects to the environment such as that which occurred on Hacker Creek here in Southern Humboldt this spring.  She enthused about the warm reception participants gave to her group.  She described brisk sales of t-shirts and other pro sun bud items.

“There was lots of support for what we are doing.  It was informative for many as well.  Some people were ignorant about the diesel issue … We were happy to enlighten them!”

There were people from all over the state at the event though Mendocino, of course, was particularly well represented.  Rohn Jennings, another Humboldt County anti diesel representative, was also there as a contestant and placed in the top ten.  He said, “You had all kinds there from the total stoners to the scientific geeks and everyone in between….It was like a coffee shop at the old Haight Ashbury…nice and friendly.  Comfy couches.”  Jennings isn’t entirely against indoor grows.  He says, “I’m not down on indoor weed per se.  I’m down on inorganic…People are growing it for a medicine and indoor isn’t a medicine.”

The combination of consumers and growers unhappy with environmental and health effects of indoor marijuana could be starting a trend towards “greener” marijuana.

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* I’ve heard rumors about an attempt to band together and refuse to sell below $2500 recently so the outdoor prices will probably be rising.

Note: Information about the presentation of anti diesel activists to the Humboldt CO. Board of Supervisors can be found here, here, and here.