THC EXPOsed

An Unconventional Convention

by Mickey Martin

As I came down the grapevine I noticed a strange green aura illuminating from the Los Angeles skyline in front of me. It was not a reflection from the smog. It was bright green. The air was dense with crystals and clouds of smoke were rising from all directions. It was majestic. It was beautiful. It was the THC Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you put every great mind, product, and consumer of cannabis all in one room for a massive gathering of like minds? Crazy cool cannabis chaos is what you would get. As I approached the convention center, I had no idea what I was in for. I have been to hundreds of cannabis related events but this one had the feeling of something different. The buzz of the event was brewing for months, as whisperings of plans and preparations began to surface. The industry was excited to take part in the first legitimate cannabis convention on American soil. The political and social climates surrounding cannabis were ripe for the picking and cannabis stakeholders from all over were excited to showcase their love of cannabis for the whole world to see.

The convention center was packed. Everywhere you looked there were people moving about. As I came up the escalator I looked over the crowd gathered and saw a massive sign reading “THC EXPO” in front of me. I thought to myself, “Damn. This is for real.” I had never seen the letters THC blown up as big as a billboard before but I’ll be damned if I wasn’t now standing right underneath it. I stopped for a moment to take it in. There was a convention for cannabis happening at the same convention center that other major industries, such as cars and boats, held their annual industry events. We had arrived. Cannabis was going mainstream for real. I almost shed a tear, but I pressed on.

I entered the massive convention center area overwhelmed by, well, by all of the green. The floors were green. The booths were green. Everyone was wearing green, talking green, and from what I could tell, spending some green. The first thing I noticed was it was jammed with people. There was not a straight shot to anywhere. One of the first friendly faces I ran upon was Charlie Lynch. I joked that since he was out pending appeal, I was the only one who had to have a federal judge file an order to be there. He was smiling and glowing with the excitement of it all. In fact, come to think of it, damn near everyone was smiling.

As I broke from the pack to begin taking photos of it all I became disoriented by the massive landscape ahead. Where does one begin? I was lost before I began. There were bikini-clad women in every direction and towering pictures of cannabis buds everywhere. I found myself standing under a huge tower that said, “Want Big Fat Sugary Buds?” I thought, “Well, yes I do.” It was a massive display from the folks at Advanced Nutrients. This was interesting, as it became clear that hydro companies were coming out of the closet and embracing the cannabis culture. For decades there was a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in the world of hydro products. But here I was, witnessing an industry evolving with the times and refusing to hide their intentions any longer. It was liberating.

I began to get a feel for the landscape after traveling aisle after aisle looking at the amazing professionalism of the exhibitors who had come out to show their wares. There were companies that specialized in the glass blowing of pipes, or as they were being touted, medical cannabis delivery devices. Dispensing collectives from all over the state set up massive booths to attract patients and position themselves as leaders of this fledgling community. There were clothing exhibitors, artists, media outlets, upstart online services, drug policy reform groups, bail bond companies and so much more lining every square inch of the LA convention center. They were jockeying for the attention of Joe Public and they were not disappointed. The place was full of interested and motivated cannabis connoisseurs that were not shy about asking questions and checking out the goods. Every booth had a constant stream of people looking on in awe at product after product, and organization after organization, dedicated to the cause of cannabis.

I rounded a corner and came upon my old friend, the Reverend Eddy Lepp. He was smiling from ear to ear (as usual) despite his being sentenced to a decade in prison less than a month earlier. He lit up a cigarette inside the convention center and did not bat an eye in the process. No one was going to tell him to put it out either. His spirit had not been broken by the magnitude of the road ahead. As he danced from photo opportunity to photo opportunity he smiled and laughed with the crowd of admirers and sympathizers. I wonder if he felt as strange as I did. Here we were being punished for our choice to provide cannabis medicines and there was an entire convention center full of exhibits that screamed, “I sell cannabis for a living.” It was surreal.

I turned around for a brief moment and saw one of the event’s organizers, Todd McCormick scurry by. He was showing his impressive work to the likes of Bill Maher and Woody Harrelson. He was hurried, but I had a minute to grab him and let him know how impressed I was with it all. Todd, in his normal cool as a cucumber way, acted as if this were no big deal. That he had orchestrated a gathering of epic proportion was simply another day at the office for him; but I know somewhere deep down even he was impressed with the turn out. It was hard not to be.

Hour after hour passed and I continued to come upon booths and people that I had yet to see. There was a seemingly endless amount of things to check out and I began to realize that I would probably never see it all. Oaksterdam Universtiy had a massive stage and was hosting educational seminars with industry stakeholders of all sorts. There were discussions on cannabis safety, dispensing of medicine, delivery services, legal issues and so much more.  The stage was constantly packed with onlookers hoping to gain insight into the growing world of the cannabis industry. They were not disappointed and neither was I. I looked on with a smile as people sponged up the information presented by speaker after speaker. People were truly excited to learn more about this sacred plant and the industry that has developed surrounding it.

As the weekend winded down I was exhausted. I could feel every inch of my body aching in pain, but I did not care. I had experienced something crazy. Something cool. Some cannabis chaos, you may say and I was happy that I had. There was no other way of looking at it. The THC Expo was a hit and everyone got his or her money’s worth in the process. The evolution of the industry had come to a head. The image of the lazy pothead had been put to rest. This was now a bona fide industry of innovative entrepreneurs complete with their very own massively legitimized convention. There was no turning back. The age of the “counter culture” may have died at this convention. This was as pop culture and genuine as any other convention that the center had ever hosted and cannabis was the driving force. What was once so taboo that grown adults would hide in fear of senseless prosecution was now displayed proudly and loudly for all to see. The cannabis industry was here to stay.

I began to pack up my gear and hit the road. I turned around to begin saying my goodbyes and realized that I knew thousands of people in this room. It would take me several hours to say farewell to them all, so I didn’t. I headed for the door and looked over my shoulder one last time to take it all in. There was cannabis as far as the eye could see and that gave me a warm feeling inside. I knew that the fight I had been fighting for so many years was being won. That in the face of aggression brave and enlightened people pressed on to make this a reality. It was a most unconventional convention for sure; a coming out party of sorts. The THC Expo was the straw that broke the back of cannabis prohibition and I do not think any of us could have imagined the success of it all. When one bears witness to the breaking down of barriers this huge there is nothing left to do but smile. I smiled all the way home up Highway 5. I am still smiling. Many thanks to Todd McCormick and the many folks who made this happen. The only question I have left is, “How the hell do you top that one?” I guess we will have to wait until next year to find out. Simply put, it was amazing.

I have meant to blog about this event more recently. I am still spinning from the magnitude of it all. A convention of epic proportion of cannabis based businesses. I have been busy writing a story for West Coast Cannabis, so I will leave some mystery and you can wait for that to hit the newsstand.

All I can say is, "how is it again I am on house arrest and there is a whole convention center of people advertising that they sell cannabis and cannabis accessories." The convention was massive and a very enjoyable event. Many thanks to Todd McCormick and Hempire Media for making this a reality. Kudos on the crazy coolest cannabis convention ever.