There’s little doubt that the cannabis industry is booming in the Golden State, thanks to new laws making recreation and medicinal cannabis products legal. As a result, new businesses and ventures have sprung up throughout the state, (such as www.Kolas.com), a rapidly expanding cannabis dispensary and delivery operation across the state.
In fact, according to the Sacramento Bee, 2022 will be the first year that the State Fair will not only feature a comprehensive cannabis and marijuana exposition, but in particular, it will recognize its Native American cannabis growers.
One such grower who refers to herself as “super plant nerdy” is Lindsey Renner. When it comes to indigenous growing techniques for raising cannabis, she is said to be an expert. Renner is not only “a proud Native American,” she has been appointed the ambassador for the California State Fair’s first-ever cannabis competition.
She has spent the past decade and a half growing marijuana, fruits, and other “native crops” in two areas of rural real estate that once housed her ancestral village. The site also contains a cooking site and a recreational area that dates back 150 years.
By creating a “living soil” in the Native American tradition, Renner is said to be extracting nutrients from the fruits and microbes. She introduced fungi to the mix, which reduces the need for human intervention in the form of toxic pesticides. This allows the plants to control their own situation. What results is regenerative farming and sun-grown cannabis that beats even the best product grown indoors.
Says Renner, “I just wanted to approach things that way, where I’m not trying to conquer nature.” An attitude that would most definitely make her ancestors proud. But because of this year’s cannabis competition and its embrace of Native American culture, Renner’s crop can potentially go mainstream and, at the same time, broaden the appeal of the Golden State’s cannabis crop. For the first time in the state’s history, marijuana will take its place beside the best California cheeses, olive oils, beer, and wine.
However, there exist some Golden State residents who don’t agree with the cannabis inclusion in the State Fair. They are said to be “bothered by efforts to normalize” what has arguably become the state’s largest cash crop ever since it was legalized back in 2016. Even inflammatory headlines referring to the crop as “reefer madness” have been utilized to come down on the cannabis competition.
In terms of hard science, lots of studies have proven that consuming highly powered marijuana comes with its risks, especially when it comes to young imbibers. But it doesn’t come close to the dangers of alcohol or prescription drugs, which have been widely misused for decades and decades.
According to the Sacramento Bee, the “reflex to shun cannabis” uses resources and energy that could be put to far better use when it comes to deepening the public’s understanding of the natural, organically grown product. This includes an appreciation for the work of the farmers who are carrying on the traditions of their Native American forefathers and mothers.
This carrying on of traditions is said to make this year’s California State Fair’s “cannabis-science-based competition” so worth visiting. In a word, no one will be getting “stoned” at the Golden State Expo. Sources say that over 300 submissions were analyzed and judged inside a laboratory, and the results were widely reported. That’s all it took for the award winners to be decided. Now they will be showcased inside a 7,500 exhibition space at the 2022 fair.
Another cannabis grower who has assisted Renner with spearheading the competition stressed that the marijuana products are being marketed safely and responsibly. For example, the organizers are taking special care to ensure that the promotion and packaging of the winning cannabis products are presented in the same “sophisticated, mainstream” manner as the other agricultural categories included in the fair.
The organizers say that the important thing is to remain neutral while also trying to educate not only about the cannabis products but the importance of the earth they were grown on. This is an opportunity like no other given to the growers by the great state of California to speak out about homegrown cannabis and marijuana in a way that is smart, educational, and historically insightful.
It should also be noted that as opposed to the famous Emerald Cup competition, where marijuana smoke fills the air, Renner points out that the California State Fair is aiming to “subtly” attempt to reach a new demographic that might normally be uncomfortable with casually smoking cannabis.
