BAY CITY, Mich. (WNEM) – A major boost coming to the Michigan cannabis industry this month, thanks to a new state-wide competition.
Judging is now underway for the “Best in Grass” national cannabis competition. This marks the first ever statewide competition.
“Honestly, it’s just exciting to be a part of it,” said Allanah, an assistant manager at Puff Cannabis in Bay City. “To have a huge thing, almost like High Times, where it’s another judge kit or a lot of products in the customer’s hands, helps us see what they want and what they would like us to bring in new.”
Over the new six weeks, 2,600 Michiganders will have the chance to purchase judging kits from different state dispensaries, ultimately crowning the best products in the state.
“Best in Grass” founder, Joey Posney, said the idea for this came from wanting real, paying customers to provide an honest voice for the industry.
“We want the people that are spending their hard-earned money in these dispensaries to actually have a say in what’s good and bad,” Posney said. “We’re partnered with a lot of dispensaries, 25 to be exact, and we’re from the Upper Peninsula all the way down to the Ohio and Indiana borders.”
Judging kits will be sold on a first come, first serve basis and come loaded with Michigan cannabis products across 14 counties.
“From indica flowers, to sativa flowers, solvent-infused, non-solvent-infused, to just about everything we have in the shop, even just a whole kit of edibles, which some people are super excited about,” Allanah said.
Puff sold out on the kits the day judging started on April 6.
While this heavy flow of new business means good news for dispensaries like them, employees say they’re also hoping the competition will help to educate the public more on the positive impacts from cannabis.
“I’m guessing just that it is a more acceptable product,” said Allanah. “Something that is natural, that’s not scary, we’re not scary. We’re in reality helping people. 90% of the time people are coming in with anxiety issues or pain they’re dealing with and they’re not wanting to take pharmaceuticals for it.”
“I think it’s interesting, right, because that’s still like the ‘reefer madness’ that’s holding onto some of the older generations of people and not really being open to,” Posney explained. “There’s not a lot of bad things that happen around dispensaries, but they’re still okay with all the bars being open, all the liquor stores being open and alcohol still kills over 100,000 people a year around the world.”
In the meantime, dispensaries are looking forward to feedback from the public and of course, prepping for 4/20.
“4/20 is going to be big,” said Allanah. “We’re going to have a ton of deals, we have food trucks coming, we have plenty of options. it’s always a great day to come in.”
Judging will be open until May 19th.
The winners will be announced at an award show on June 18th.
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Source: ‘Best in Grass’ competition brings boost to Michigan cannabis industry
