| A High Times Cannabis Cup trophy. |
Update (1:30 p.m. Feb. 15): According to the Medical Cannabis Cup website, the event is still happening and has been moved about an hour East to San Bernardino, California at the National Orange Show Event Center, 689 South E St. Tickets are still on sale at the event website.
Original story, posted at 9:20 a.m. Feb. 14: The High Times magazine Medical Cannabis Cup scheduled for this weekend in Glendale appears to have been shut down by city officials. This would be the second time a venue has fallen through for the event, which was scheduled to run Saturday and Sunday.
The Glendale Studios venue is the second for the cup. Just last week, High Times announced that “unforeseen permit difficulties” were forcing them to move from the original location in L.A. The consensus around Facebook was that the shift was to a more welcoming venue. Apparently that wasn’t the case.
According to the Glendale News-Press, Glendale city council has asked the L.A. County courts to issue a restraining order against High Times after holding an emergency meeting Tuesday night. Glendale City Council argues that the cannabis-friendly event known for allowing open ganja use doesn’t meet any of the city’s laws. But it’s not the ganja usage they are targeting, at least not specifically.
| Poster for the Cup announcing the original venue change to Glendale. |
Instead, the brilliant minds of Glendale are arguing that since the Glendale Studios are zoned for broadcast and recording only, High Times would be violating those codes by allowing rappers The Game and Redman to perform live for the crowds. Nit picking? You’re damn right. (Editor’s note: can’t they get past that by setting up cameras and recording the event?)
Their second – and equally as weak – argument is that Glendale has a ban on medical marijuana dispensaries. They argue that High Times somehow technically violates that ruling even though no cannabis is being sold by High Times. In fact, the only medicating going on was to be done in a restricted-access area.
Despite the flimsy arguments, Glendale City Council has scared off the owner of the venue who says he won’t allow the event to go on regardless of whether or not the court injunction is issued. He told the News-Press he didn’t want to jeopardize his place in the community by holding something that his overlords city council doesn’t approve of.
We’ve reached out to High Times officials, who tell us that they are working on a solution and that they will get back to Toke of the Town when they have more answers. We’ll update this post when they do.