December 14, 2015
The Emerald Cup, the celebration of cannabis culture now in its third year in Santa Rosa, wrapped up its two-day run at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds on Sunday with its biggest attendance ever, showcasing some of the best outdoor organic marijuana in the world and the industry the plant has spawned.
The weekend event drew more than 21,000 people, according to organizer Tim Blake, compared to 13,000 last year and 7,000 in 2013, the first year it was relocated from Mendocino County, where it had its humble, more clandestine beginnings 12 years ago.
Billed as the equivalent of the Oscars for the cannabis industry, the event draws many producers from the so-called “Emerald Triangle” of Mendocino, Humboldt and Trinity counties, a business that organizers claim is the largest agricultural crop on the North Coast, and will grow even more with outright legalization — perhaps as soon as next year.
