A Cannabis Cup Odyssey
THERE ACTUALLY WAS a first High Times Cannabis Cup. In the 1980s. In Amsterdam.
At the time, the War on Drugs was on. The Dutch government, however, having realized that the use of weed didn’t cause any major problems, instructed the police to look the other way. In addition, it turned out that Dutch law did not actually forbid the sale of cannabis seeds, creating an ideal situation for high-quality marijuana to flourish.
In the United States, the search for great ganja capable of completing its growth cycle in local weather was underway. A collective of growers and breeders in Northern California, Sacred Seeds, had come up with a game-changing hybrid, Skunk #1, which combined the clear high of Mexican and Colombian sativa with the fast growth of Afghan varieties.
It is said that David Watson, also known as Sam the Skunkman, brought thousands of seeds from the United States to Holland, where, around 1985, a few gifted pioneers started experimenting with new hybrids.
A reporter (and eventual editor in chief) at High Times, Steven Hager, decided to check out the Dutch scene, featuring master breeder Nevil Schoenmakers in the March 1987 cover story “Inside Cannabis Castle.” In 1988, Hager returned to Amsterdam, taking a photographer and a buddy along, to test and photograph the work of American, Australian and Dutch trailblazers in Holland. This was the first High Times Cannabis Cup.
A few growers heard about the event early enough to submit properly dried samples, and the team went to work in their hotel room, eventually awarding first place to Skunk #1 from Cultivator’s Choice.
Another contest was held in November 1989, and the Seed Bank took top honors for a Haze hybrid (Early Pearl/Skunk #1 x Northern Lights #5/Haze).
By the third year, Hager was ready to open the
