Billed as “the largest indoor exposition in the world highlighting the myriad of uses surrounding the famous Cannabis/Hemp plant,” the THC Expo on June 13 and 14 at the Los Angeles Convention Center was a moderate success.

Commercially, the first-time Expo certainly hit its mark. Stoners of all ages and cultural backgrounds flocked to downtown Los Angeles. Smartly priced at just $10 per day, the event was affordable to all. Ticket lines moved efficiently, and by the end of the weekend nearly 40,000 people filed through the World’s Largest Headshop. 

Most attendees headed straight to the 18+ section. The area was a cornucopia of paraphernalia: Bongs, pipes, grow stuff - anything a stoner could desire - filled booth after booth. Seed companies from Canada to Amsterdam flew in for the show. Doctors and dispensaries - mostly from the L.A. area - registered hundreds of new patients. There was a lot to see. 

However, it was nearly impossible to take it all in. Most of the 18+ section quickly bottlenecked with people, while empty tables and unused space were to be found on the all-ages side of the Expo. The poor design concept detracted from the ability of lesser-known companies to market to potential consumers.  

General cleanliness was an issue as well. As each day wore on, the floor became more and more littered with unwanted handouts. Recycling containers, while available, were not numerous enough to encourage attendees to dispose of the thousands of flyers/cards/posters properly. The already trashy looking pale-green carpeting became literally trashed.

Oaksterdam University provided ongoing seminars in activism and education. While the quality of speakers varied, overall they were very informative. Unfortunately, since no schedule was provided, those interested in a particular topic couldn't plan on when to be there. Thus, attendance was spotty. If you happened to walk by and a good speaker caught your ear, perhaps you might sit down and listen. But if you weren’t in the area, it was easy to miss interesting and important seminars. 

The absence of stoner icons on the underused main stage left a noticeable hole in the weekend’s event. A well-known keynote speaker and a few other highly-profile appearances would have put a real feather in the Expo’s cap, securing its place on the cannabis calendar.

Overall, the THC Expo was a good first-time event. Hopefully, it will return next year with more attention paid to details, both big and small.

Hal Klein is an actor who hosts This Man’s Kitchen. He’s appeared in Bottle Shock, Killer Movie and Nobel Son.

Photos by CelebStoner



Also see:

THC Expo Pix: Day 1
THC Expo Pix: Day 2
More Blogs by Hal B. Klein
More CelebStoner Blogs
CelebStoner News