High Times Cannabis Cup's Move to Pueblo Still Up in Air

Earlier this month Adams County denied the High Times Cannabis Cup's event permit, after which the publication announced that the festival would move to Pueblo. But now, the status of the Pueblo site is also in question.

The Cup was originally scheduled to happen at the Denver Mart. However, High Times saw its permit denied by Adams County commissioners on February 16 after concerns raised by law enforcement over the abundance of attendees in the industrial neighborhood and the amount of public marijuana consumption expected to take place around the venue. Just a few days after having its permit denied, though, High Times announced on its website that the Cannabis Cup would be held in Pueblo on April 16, 17 and 18 — only it didn't say which venue would become its 2016 base.

The Denver Post reported that southern Colorado entrepreneurial couple Tom and Anna-Marie Giodone would host the Cannabis Cup at their venue: the Yard at 23344 U.S. Highway 50 East — 122 miles south of the Denver Mart. The location is also home to a marijuana dispensary owned by the Giodone's son, Tommy.

Pueblo County Commissioner Sal Pace and Community Information Manager Paris Carmichael released a statement regarding the Cannabis Cup's event permit application last week, saying that Tommy Giodone's production company, Tommy G productions, had applied for a Pueblo County Special Event Permit for the Cannabis Cup. But because High Times was the event's promoter and not Tommy G Productions, the permit had to be resubmitted by High Times.

The Giodone family could not be reached for comment despite multiple attempts.

On Friday, Carmichael said that High Times had to resubmit its application again because the proposed dates of the cup — April 16 to 18 — were too soon, according to county regulations.

"When the application was submitted on February 4, 2016, the dates of the proposed event were April 16-20, 2016. According to SEP (Special Event Permit) regulations, and based on the date Pueblo County’s Planning & Development Department received the application, the event could occur April 19-20. The first three proposed dates of the event, April 16 – 18 are beyond the 75 day requirement and therefore could not be dates of the event. High Times has since amended the dates of their event to April 22 through the 24," Carmichael wrote in an e-mail to Westword.

High Times general counsel Cristina Buccola could not be reached for comment, but an employee for the publication said that meetings were still being held on the event and the magazine wasn't ready to comment on Colorado.

The Cup's first denial in Adams County occurred in part because organizers did not address the issue of public marijuana consumption, which is illegal in Colorado, and could not guarantee that fewer than 15,000 people — the Denver Mart's newly mandated daily attendance cap — would attend the event each day. Pueblo law enforcement has echoed similar concerns. 

Carmichael said that High Times has until March 1 to resubmit its event application, with a decision expected no later than March 23.

Keep reading for more marijuana events:

Marijuana business incubator CanopyBoulder is throwing a party in honor of its ten new upstarts for this year's spring semester today, February 29, from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. at its headquarters in Boulder. For less than $7, you can meet the newest round of CanopyBoulder businesses, enjoy some drinks and listen to a keynote speaker from the cannabis industry. The party will also double as a benefit for the Marijuana Policy Project.

Denver's NORML chapter will hold its monthly meeting on Wednesday, March 2, at Lumonics Light & Sound Gallery. Starting at 7 p.m., the meeting will update members on current Colorado pot issues and discuss responsible cannabis use in Denver, NORML's May 9 lobby day at the Capitol Building and more. Attendees will also get to experience Cooking with Cannabis Kandice — a course on how to make gourmet edibles with Denver's own pot-cooking professional, Kandice Moss.

The Second Annual Industrial Hemp Awards and Festival returns to Colorado on Saturday, March 5, and Sunday, March 6, at the Boulder County Fairgrounds. Starting at 10:30 a.m. each day, the festival will feature hemp educational panels, product booths, networking opportunities and an awards ceremony in honor of the Colorado hemp industry. Tickets cost $25 for one day and $45 for two if purchased early, and $35 at the door. All ages are welcome.

Think you can tell the difference between Durban Poison and Bubble Gum Kush? Put your nostrils to the test at the Trichome Institute's Interpening Cannabis Sommelier Course on Monday, March 9, at 6 p.m at Colorado Free University. Just like a wine-tasting course, this hands-on class will teach students how to smell the differences among cannabis strains and detect unacceptable qualities in flower. Cost is $299. Licensed industry employees and groups of five or more should inquire about discounts. 21+

Clover Leaf University is offering Green House 101: Outdoor Cannabis Cultivation on Tuesday, March 8, from 4 to 8 p.m. at the CLU Campus. For $299, students will learn the fundamentals of a greenhouse garden from professional horticulturalists while covering spatial organization, growing mediums, watering, lighting, ventilation, plant cycles and equipment for soil and hydroponic mediums as they apply to cannabis.

CLU will also present its Advanced Master Grow Techniques course on Wednesday, March 9, from 4 to 8 p.m. at the CLU Campus. Licensed master growers will teach students methods of high-volume cannabis production inside large cultivation systems in this extensive class on commercial growing. Registration is $299.

Know of an event that should be in the Cannabis Calendar? Send it to [email protected].