In Oakland at the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center, the history and future of cannabis is alive. These halls have been graced by Martin Luther King 100 years after the emancipation proclamation, Bob Marley and The Wailers, Timothy Leary, Jerry Garcia, and the Grateful Dead, such famous persons have each brought their inspirational spirits and words into this building to draw the ideas of counter culture conversation out into the mainstream. The 2024 Emerald Cup feels like the realization of a future envisioned over 60 years ago by these very same visitors.
It’s my 5th Emerald Cup in 6 years and it’s a rare instance to witness the best seeders, growers, and vendors of all backgrounds come together to present and share in the fruits of their labor. The cloned sapling plants are seen in the hands of many are carried in humble paper bags around the venue, their value could be a few bucks to a few thousand, depending on the value their genetics promise. Small tubes of seeds that retail for hundreds are held with fascination and heightened anticipation, eagerly imagining what sacred flowers would come from their patient and skillful cultivation.
The eastern wall of the building features a series of sculptures above outdoor smoking alcoves. These semi-domed alcoves overhead, make the roof appear aloft and mingling with the clouds. Centered on the wall in a large circle are inlaid the words “The Joy of Effort”. The imagery of a farmer tilling the soil and then indulging in the fruits of his labor encapsulates the spirit of the event—celebrating the labor and passion that goes into cannabis.
Although I’ve been to this show before, this venue is a new one, the crowd was a mix of either first-timers or old heads. I’m here with the third brand I’ve attended within 6 years. Each time I participate I find it shows me something new for the future and gives off a flare of nostalgia from the past.
At the POS for Natura this year, I was representing 3 house names as the Trade Marketing Coordinator for Nor-Cal. All 3 brands had their own set of product lines, displays, and merchandise with the products featured for sale. Sluggers, Dee Thai, and Lola. Our 3 main lines were presented to an audience of eclectic cannabis consumers and they had the opportunity to buy, with hundreds of transactions happening per day.
“Are these collectibles for sale?” A long time Sluggers fan asks, pointing to our baseball-inspired Sluggers lunch boxes.
“I got all the cards,” Lorenzo says to us, is a local fanatic who brought in some of his favorite collectible Sluggers cards for us to see. In exchange we gave Lorenzo and fans like him swag and gear to rep out.
When this kind of enjoyment is found in an enthusiastic customer you know you’re doing it right. The genuine joy from everyone makes my passion for advocacy shine even brighter. The consumers are fun-loving, and animated and each one left the booth on a memorable product journey. I love asking the crowd questions about what they’re seeing out on the floor, what’s their favorite booth so far, how they came to be at Emerald Cup, and making every interaction a memorable one for them.
These moments with legacy growers, new consumers, and seasoned old heads, fill you with a strong sense of purpose and fulfillment in finally completing the long-awaited legalization of cannabis. The crowd here desires simply the joy of the experience, the pure ecstasy of indulging in something that was passionately made to be blissfully enjoyed. To this day it is still not nationally decriminalized or rescheduled, there’s so much effort to keep down the pursuit of happiness. So when there’s a chance to celebrate, the cannabis community shows up.
In 17 years of cultivating, education, and advocacy, I’m lucky to have experienced so many different facets of the cannabis industry; cultivation, extraction, production, procurement, delivery, collection, budtending, sales, marketing, education, and advocacy. With this experience, I have the ability to educate and support new consumers as well as have heady conversations with legacy growers from remote locations and lifestyles. Some of whom only find camaraderie and community in events like this one.
In joining the recreational market I ended up in high-end medicinal products because I could speak to their process and undertake any questions about the plant or the transfer of its medicinal properties to the product. Because of the high cost of the product, it wasn’t always accessible to those who needed it. We created compassion programs to help but the medicinal marketplace has more milligrams per container tending to be more expensive. While working for brands like Natura you get to provide flowers and products into the hands of consumers at a price that is more approachable. The price comes from being the cultivator, extractor, manufacturer, marketing, and sales team all in one facility.
I’ve always worked remotely, nowhere near the headquarters, for most of my cannabis career and it’s so refreshing to be able to come into the office in Sacramento, just a 10-minute commute. Since a majority of the team resides here it builds my ability to provide resources and connect with the team who gives me in-person information and results that feed into the marketplace. The team is unified in one mission for the pure joy of cannabis. Being in the build-out phase of the Emerald Cup, and having time to get to know my co-workers while discussing other brands and who’s up to winning the cup is a thrill.
Cannabis to me is a family affair, I learned to grow from a family friend of my father’s and then ran the cultivation on my family cannabis ranch for several years in Trinity County. I’ve made products for my grandpa during chemo, topicals for my grandma during her final years, and have even convinced my anti-pot parents to chill out and eat some gummies. Providing those experiences for family and friends and encouraging others to not fear the plant that heals us is a large part of the journey for many in the cannabis community. Many who began seeking medicine for loved ones and themselves when it wasn’t legal to do so are now some of the most successful advocates and educators.
When I asked Mrs. Odeye about what kind of strains she liked to grow she spoke about her journey, remembering her seedlings getting pulled up from the family garden by her dad, to her first house she bought in the pursuit of cultivating medicine. Her partner Rev of over 50 years stood by her side as Mrs. Odeye talked about the devotion and commitment it took to doing what they knew was right even in the midst of extreme prohibition. Together they advocate for justice reform and turning hate into positive action through their organizations the Justice Reform Coalition and Turn Hate To Love Campaign.
The couple, Oakland natives, are a testament to the sacrifice and true nature of the origins of cannabis culture. Creating a space for us to come together when times of prohibition forced everyone to hide.
When I was first offered to go to Emerald Cup I couldn’t wait to connect with teammates and get to know how their journey brought us all together. It was at Emerald Cup and events like it that I got to grow with my team and the cannabis community. By discovering new concepts and rehashing old ideas, the cannabis community evolves through sharing and connecting our passions to the larger view. The grander picture, that concerns where this all goes when we’re gone.
What’s left? The joy, the passion, the strains, and the experiences that we shared with others remain. That’s what drives the future of cannabis, a mix of new experiences and nostalgic history bubbling up and crashing out over and over Again.
We have a strength in this industry as cannabis users to shape the expectations in our shared cannabis journey, we get to decide where this goes. I’m lucky to be here, and I’m grateful, so I’m one of the happiest people just being here. It’s hard to get brought down or feel left out in events like this, it makes you feel indivisible and unified. When we provide the vehicle to create joy in the lives of the people it’s a beautiful thing that’s more powerful than just that moment, because that moment is shaping the future of cannabis.
See you next year, peace, and cheers!
Don’t forget to see the Sluggers Hit Oakland Emerald Cup 2024 on YouTube 🙂
Author: Jaren Hockert, Trade Marketing Coordinator at Natura Life + Science
