.png)
Greenstate: What the California State Fair Cannabis Award winners say about the weed world
EXCERPT: Dale Gieringer, longtime freedom fighter with California NORML, said, “This type of gathering would have been unimaginable 30 years ago.”
It was inconceivable even six years ago. Insiders said it took years of cajoling local and state agencies to bring the Cannabis Experience to life.
Amy Jenkins, executive director of the California Cannabis Operators Association, recalled backstage how she had to help draft special legislation allowing events like the State Fair’s cannabis experience.
The vibe has improved markedly over the last five years—adding a smoking area, and then a sales counter from Embarc, and more amenities like giant fans and misters. In 2026, it’s the very peaceful, refined, and demure oasis in an otherwise blazing and cacophonous fairground. More than 700,000 people attended the State Fair in 2025.
