Visitors of the California State Fair are legally allowed to purchase and smoke weed products at its first cannabis exhibit in its 170-year history.
Organizers partnered with Embarc dispensaries to sell and offer a 30,000-square-foot outdoor consumption lounge space.
The California State Fair introduced an educational cannabis exhibit in 2022 and awards competition to showcase the plant.
On July 12, the marijuana exhibit experiences delayed opening on its firsts day as dozens of people waited to get in.
‘This is crazy,’ Ray Ochoa, 28, and the first to legal smoke weed on the fairgrounds told The Los Angeles Times.
‘It’s getting it to where we want it to be — equalized [and] not just treating it like a criminal thing. We want to be able to smoke with the homies wherever everybody else goes.’
Recreational marijuana is completely legal in 24 states, and many others have decriminalized it and allow weed for medicinal use.
The cannabis exhibit is for attendees aged 21 and over and has an educational walk through, presentation stage, expansive film screen, dedicated lounge and vendor area.
Pete Telles, 55, came to the fair with his father, Noel Telles, 85, and their friend from Sacramento, John Matijasic, 73.
‘This is the exact reason why I’m here today,’ Pete Telles said. ‘To have the ability to purchase and consume and be with like-minded people — and to be with my father, who is a legend to me. We’ve been coming to the fair every year since the mid-’80s.’
‘I’m smoking dope at the California State Fair. After this, I’m going to just sit down and watch people,’ Matijasic said.
This year’s cannabis competition included product categories for pre-rolls, concentrates, cartridges, edibles, beverages and wellness products.
The California State Fair Cannabis Awards is the largest state-sanctioned cannabis competition of its kind with more than 500 entries, double the amount entered last year.
Heidy Santamaria, 26, said: ‘This is cool, I was telling her inside at the little bar[-like] dispensary that it feels like we’re living in the future a little bit. Because when we were growing up, we never thought we’d be able to do something like this.’
The California State Fair is July 12 through July 28 in Sacramento and costs $16 for adults and $10 for kids ages 5-12.