As 4/20 fast approaches, stoners everywhere are gathering together their beloved bongs, trusty lighters and favorite strains for an afternoon that will be unforgettable. Or, if smoking a particularly potent plant, forgettable. Set against the backdrop of recent ballot measure approvals in Washington and Colorado, this Saturday is the perfect occasion to consider where the marijuana industry is headed and the possible ramifications of such a direction. Is corporatization the future? Will a cleaner system subvert the sleazy underbelly of drug dealing?
In addition to the Memorial Glade scene for cannabis enthusiasts, the Bay Area will also play host to Hempcon 2013 in San Jose — a medical marijuana convention that I was initially made aware of via, you guessed it, a bathroom wall graffito. On the third floor women’s restroom of Wheeler Hall, in a stall closest to the entrance, “HEMPCON” is written in all caps. Probably just another doped up student promoting a little gathering, I assumed. How very wrong I was.
Just a few days after seeing the bathroom wall endorsement, I noticed hundreds of bright pink Hempcon advertisements posted on telephone polls throughout South Berkeley and Oakland as I drove to Santa Barbara. Later came the billboards. When driving back home through San Francisco, I saw the most costly and conspicuous one yet: a giant Hempcon billboard along highway 101, a prime location. Keep in mind these types of advertisement campaigns likely cost thousands of dollars, at the very least, even without televised or radio-broadcasted commercials.
So what exactly is Hempcon and where is all the money coming from?
The idea that there could be so much financial and professional event planning put into a weed convention clashes with the way many Berkeley students probably view marijuana. Smokers here might like to think that each leaf they buy is homegrown by a guy named Sunshine who talks to his plants every night and only uses organic, sustainable growing practices.
Hempcon, on the other hand, seems to be a slightly different narrative. Mega Productions is the corporate entity that is responsible for planning the event. According to Mega Productions’ website, its clients have included AT&T, Pepsi, State Farm Insurance, Microsoft and Ebay. The convention itself, which is touted as America’s largest medical marijuana exposition, will showcase exhibitors, a keynote speech and even musical entertainment. Legal advocates, medical practitioners and dispensary representatives should also be present.
There is this sentiment among many pot smokers that weed is one homogenous, counter-culture movement that champions camaraderie, peace and relaxation. Wherever you are, whatever strain of grass you’re smoking — it’s all one love connected by the beauty of getting baked.
Sure, marijuana might have some of those qualities. It certainly promotes love more than a plastic appliance from Walmart would. But just as it is important to know where your fruits and vegetables are coming from, it is also prudent to understand where your weed originates. Was it delivered from outside the U.S. in a giant illegal transport? Through which hands has it passed? If there are any negative externalities associated with the production or transportation of the good, then it is the responsibility of the consumer to make a sound decision based on such information. In the same way that a bathroom wall scribble can turn out to be part of a larger corporate event, what lies behind bud can be more than meets the bloodshot eye.
Contact Kimberly Veklerov at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter: @kveklerov.