The iconic High Times Cannabis Cup competition heads to Atlantic City as New Jersey’s legal cannabis market gains momentum and local brands compete for top honors.
Photo courtesy of High Times
The High Times Cannabis Cup is coming to New Jersey for the first time, bringing the long-running competition to Atlantic City’s Steel Pier for a one-night event on May 1.
State-licensed dispensaries HoneyGrove and HoneyStash are serving as presenting sponsors. Jeffrey Miller, chief executive officer of HoneyProjects, says the moment reflects the growth of New Jersey’s adult-use cannabis market and the culture it grew out of.
“New Jersey has been a sleeper in this industry for too long,” Miller said in a press release from the company. “The talent is real, the quality is here, and the community is ready. The High Times Cannabis Cup coming to New Jersey for the first time is a chance to shine a light on the craft, the care, and the people who are raising the bar for what this industry can be.”
The Steel Pier gathering is a private, 21-and-over event that combines live music, rides, games and an awards ceremony that closes out a statewide cannabis competition. More than 50 licensed New Jersey brands entered products to compete in 13 categories, including flower, concentrates, vape pens and edibles. More than 2,500 consumer judges evaluated entries since the competition opened, with judging closed on April 24.
Kyle Rosner, director of partnerships at High Times, says the New Jersey stop on the Cannabis Cup tour reflects both the scale of the state’s adult-use market and the enthusiasm of local consumers.
“As a New Jersey native, I am excited that this event brings together the community to celebrate the best products in the Garden State,” he said.
The entertainment for Friday’s event leans into Northeast hip-hop and cannabis culture. Beanie Sigel and KUR headline the stage, with DJ Caesar serving as MC. The bill also includes Crickets and Cicadas, Reality Check Experiment, Cannabis Cup Band, Da Inphamus Amadeuz and Haizi Haze. Smoke DZA hosts, and Josh Kesselman, High Times publisher and founder of RAW rolling papers, appears as a special guest.
Jeffrey Miller and Dave Valese of HoneyProjects
Photo by Ray Fernandez courtesy of HoneyGrove & HoneyStash
HoneyProjects chief visionary officer Dave Valese says the lineup was curated with the same attention he brings to the company’s retail shelves.
“You want people in the room who are authentic to the culture, who actually live this,” he says in a written interview. “For the first-ever High Times Cannabis Cup in New Jersey, we put together something I am really proud of.”
Competition winners will take home the modern version of the Cannabis Cup trophy. The gold-plated zinc chalice was redesigned in 2017 by artists Alex Grey and Allyson Grey and features sacred-geometry motifs, engraved sativa and indica leaves and Allyson Grey’s Secret Writing around the rim.
The Atlantic City event arrives less than a year after Kesselman relaunched the High Times brand after buying its intellectual property out of receivership. For him, the Cup is as much about community as competition.
“In-person events are not just needed right now, they’re essential,” Kesselman writes in an emailed statement.
High Times publisher Josh Kesselman
Photo courtesy of High Times
He described the Cannabis Cup as a kind of statewide reunion where consumers, growers and longtime culture-carriers come together to help shape the next chapter of the market.
“The community always knows what’s real,” he says, adding, “By the time it’s over, I already know my face is going to be sore from smiling.”
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