California State Fair To Allow Marijuana Sales And Consumption For First Time

SACRAMENTO, CA – History will be made in California next month when cannabis is legally sold at a state fair for the first time, according to the event’s organizers.

In a press release, the California State Fair announced that as part of its 170th anniversary, the state-sanctioned event will permit adults to purchase and consume marijuana on site. In 2022, the state fair introduced an educational cannabis exhibit and awards competition to showcase the plant alongside California’s other agricultural products.

The addition of onsite sales and consumption is part of a continued effort to spotlight the cannabis industry through education, advocacy and access.

“Hosting cannabis sales and consumption is a groundbreaking milestone in destigmatization by facilitating a deeper connection between consumers and the farmers who cultivate their products with such care,” said Lauren Carpenter, Co-Founder of Embarc, the fair’s partner in facilitating onsite sales and consumption.

At the event, which takes place in Sacramento from July 12-28, adults 21 and older will be able to review different cannabis products, add them to a virtual shopping cart and pick them up at one of Embarc’s off-site dispensaries.

An exhibition hall for state fair attendees will contain educational information about the state’s cannabis history and exhibits of top California brands and farms.  The area will feature a 30,000-square-foot consumption lounge to give attendees over age 21 an opportunity to try  products from diverse farms and brands from across California.

“Expanding the competition to include all form factors and providing patrons the opportunity to directly engage with and consume winning brands is transformational for public understanding of the plant,” said James Leitz, Executive Producer of the Cannabis Competition and Exhibit.

This year’s cannabis competition was expanded to include products for six new categories: pre-rolls, concentrates, cartridges, edibles, beverages and wellness products in addition to flower.

“Under legalization and regulation, (marijuana) remains one of the most valuable agricultural products in the state so its inclusion in the state fair, alongside local wine and beer, makes good sense,” Aaron Smith, co-founder and CEO of the National Cannabis Industry Association, told the Sacramento Bee.

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