High Times Teams Up With APCO MED For Oklahoma Cannabis Cup

High Times announced on Monday that it is teaming up with cannabis dispensary and meditation lounge APCO MED for the upcoming Oklahoma Cannabis Cup. The pot culture festival and competition to honor Oklahoma’s best cannabis products will take place on August 24 and 25 at the Lost Lakes Amphitheater in Oklahoma City.

The medicinal use of marijuana was legalized by Oklahoma voters last year with the passage of State Question 788. The constitutional amendment was passed by a margin of 56% to 43% in June 2018. Over 140,000 patients have already been approved to use medical marijuana and nearly 6,000 licenses for cannabis growers, processors, and dispensaries had been approved by the state as of July 1.

Kraig Fox, the CEO of High Times, said in a press release announcing the partnership that the company, the most iconic brand in cannabis with a history stretching back nearly 45 years, is forging new connections to Oklahoma’s nascent legal cannabis market.

“An integral part of the High Times Cannabis Cup events is creating a strong relationship with the local community where each event is held,” said Fox. “With this Cannabis Cup being the first ever in Oklahoma, our partnership with APCO MED will be a critical component to the success of the event, the integrity of the competition, and a great connection to the local community.”

History in the Making

The first High Times Cannabis Cup was held in Amsterdam in 1988 and has since grown to be the world’s largest series of cannabis culture events, with entertainment including top concert touring acts, food, and vendor and activist booths augmenting the competition. The first Oklahoma Cannabis Cup will feature cannabis product competitions in 20 categories, with winners chosen by a hand-selected group of judges from around the state. The exhibitor village will feature hundreds of cannabis brands, educational seminars, art, food, and more.

APCO MED cannabis dispensary and meditation lounge is an Oklahoma City marijuana grower, processor, and retailer. The company was founded by Ford Austin and Shayna Marino and named as a tribute to their great-grandfather J. Steve Anderson, who founded the unrelated company the Anderson Prichard Oil Corporation, later APCO Oil Corporation, 100 years ago.

Austin and Marino said that the partnership with High Times will help the company attract attention in Oklahoma’s new but burgeoning medical marijuana marketplace.

“Partnering with such a longstanding leader in the cannabis industry as High Times not only helps us move in the right direction but also helps us increase the visibility and professionalism of the legal cannabis industry in Oklahoma overall,” said Austin and Marino.

Additional details on the entertainment and musical line-ups for the Oklahoma Cannabis Cup will be released over the coming weeks. Tickets and more information are available here.