Patient's Perspective of Pharm Fest

This article was written for the September 3, 2016 Pharm Fest. With the end of the month quickly approaching as well as Labor Day weekend, a large surge of cannabis events were being unveiled for the second half of this year. While following our friend at 710 Infusions [@710infusions], a cannabis edible company based out of the DTLA and Hollywood area, we came across Pharm Fest [@Pharm_Fest]. Pharm Fest marketed themselves at the Medical Marijuana Pharmacy Farmer's Market. We were able to get in contact with the event coordinator Wendy. Super friendly and receptive to us going and covering the event. Please know that we were not paid for this coverage or videos. We were welcomed and provided media passes to document and cover the community event. We hope this helps people visiting the SoCal area for a similar cannabis event. You can find a whole calendar of events on our site from the folks at Pharm Fest and others on our website! [weedporndaily.com/calendar] We made our way to the fashion district of DTLA. As we drove closer and closer to the event it became apparent that we would need to pay by meter unless we could find a parking lot or garage. There was only one open "secured" parking lot within a few streets in the area that was also right across from the event. Having been to a few cannabis events- I have paid between nothing to $20 dollars for "preferred" parking nearby the event. We ended up paying $9 parking. A little high but acceptable for the length of time we spent there and with the four employees watching over the lot. It was also excellent being able to walk back a short distance to my car to drop anything off. If the Pharm Fest is being held in the same location in the future- I will be paying to park in this lot. The location had a closed courtyard/lot at the entrance that was enclosed by a ~10 foot fence. I felt secure despite the reputation of DTLA and having a great security guard from Sunlight Security [@SunlightSecurity] welcoming us and showing us where to go. He would help me open the heavy gate and watch for me as I crossed the street multiple times. I never felt unnecessary aggression in our interactions as I have been- being frisked by guards at other events or just awkward encounters getting back into events. We chose to arrive at the event right at opening at 4 pm. This is something for anyone who has never been to the SoCal area during the summer- it is HOT. You will sweat. And from the angle of the sun- the direct sunlight definitely caused the temperature of the warehouse space to rise. The space when we first arrived was not filled with moving bodies yet. This changed later after maybe two hours when the a/c was kicked on and ventilating more. A rule of thumb for all cannabis events- you don't have to wear perfume but ALWAYS wear underarm deodorant! It got far cooler when the ventilation was on and the sun was setting. The event space was divided by three major sections. The outside area which featured hot made on location edibles, snacks and meals, the stage area, and the vendor space indoors. The stage area for the beginning was playing your average event style music, energetic and upbeat. As the evening progressed it did seem to get louder and louder. The issue with many events including Pharm Fest is juggling atmosphere with event intention. A lot of events fall victim to the space they are in and the music amplifies from high ceilings to the point that your ears will ring afterward. It gets difficult communicating across tables, making transactions, or asking questions with representatives. These events are about enjoying yourself but can also be one of the few times members of the cannabis community can meet brands they follow or may not even know, asking what they need for future decisions and purchases. The music level issue is not exclusive to Pharm Fest but know coming into many of these events that the music will be loud. Many times performers will deal with equipment issues and make due with the best that they can. I highly recommend bringing soft ear plugs if you would like to watch close to the stage performances. It'll help dampen the force from the speakers- trust me you'll still be able to hear the artists. I could easily hear the different acts across the street, parked at the end of the car lot, inside my car - just fine and clear. Going into the vendor space it was primarily medicated edibles and concentrate companies. There was a surprising lack of tables selling straight up flowers. There were also other companies selling cannabis accessories. The first being Dab Coasters [@dabcoasters], a veteran owned company selling large handmade wooden coasters for your dab set ups. If you like Los Angeles patriotism and the iconography associated- many of his designs will fit your liking. You can also place custom order with him through his page. The logo of Pharm Fest and the LA city skyline were two designs being shown off for a raffle going on later in the day. When going to many of these events- it's always good to have plenty of singles. It'll open up a chance of winning some amazing prizes. I already had my own set up but if you're one to have a coffee table or a special spot to toke, then dab these Dab Coaster stations were perfect. Another was Ragabong [@Ragabong] displaying hand crafted bamboo bongs and steamroller pipes. A definite novelty product for myself, but the quality of the craftsmanship made me first question if they were glass or another material because of the high gloss and colors the bongs were available in. A must for the more organic styled smoker. Edibles were definitely the star of the event. We saw many different styles of edibles to enjoy prepackaged hot and fresh. There are edibles we have covered here on WeedPornDaily before and on our YouTube channel. The gummy stars and lemon pies of 710Infusions [@710infusions] are always an excellent treat and were being given away in a large raffle later in the evening. 710Infusions was debuting a new flavor- the Cherry I was familiar with but Piña Colada and Chili Mango were perfect in the summer heat. The mini lemon pies I could easily inhale whenever because of the zero weed taste and are something I'd pick up again and again. A very consistent quality edible. They have been updated- they use to be coated in a white glaze and has now been phased into a blue/purplish color which I have not tried yet. Another edible company we have featured a few times before is True Bionic Treats [@TrueBionicTreats]. They were also flaunting a new flavor of gummy as well, "Forbidden Fruit" in the classic Lego minifig and brick shapes they are known for and feature in their logo. True Bionic Treats is a fun and wacky brand that showcases many times at their table cartoon toys of yesteryear and one of their unicorn mascot on their Unicorn Poop Cookies. Yes. You read that right- cookies that are rainbow colored that are called officially Unicorn Poop. All fun and sparkles with edible glitter that shines in most of the True Bionic Treats. The edible company I had no experience with was Babinka Treats [@babinkartreats]. If you have never heard of Babinka Treats and you have the opportunity to buy them at an event or dispennsary- do it. A female ganjapreneur creating some of the highest quality edibles in the market with great branding and style. From cannabis ice cream, to over the top decadent donuts and cakes, Babinka Treats has you covered — a diverse selection. For the most recent craze- pokéball donuts were fully stocked alongside these incredible "brookies" (brownie cookie fusions) and cookies & cream truffles. The Babinka cake is a must try. We were lucky to try samples of the coconut and pineapple Filipino bundt cake that gets covered in chocolate. After getting your fill of treats by one cool woman owned canna-business, you have the opportunity to chug down amazing medicated Horchata by Shez So Waxy Goodies [@ShezSoWaxyGoodies] another great cannabis girl boss! Rose had a great selection of medicated Mango and Pineapple juice, and Horchata! She was stocked up and providing delicious samples. I wasn't ready to invest in a full mason jar of it at the event but I know I would pick it up for a relaxing Sunday brunch for sure. The medicated treats outside in the courtyard at Pharm Fest was all provided by Sinister Medicinals [@SinisterMedicinals]. It was excellent to have the medicated and non-medicated options available. I wasn't ready to go home after having eaten a medicated burger with a one hour ride home. Always important to be mindful of what your eating and when at cannabis events. There was medicated angus steak tacos and burgers alongside medicated lemonade. All smelled delicious making it very hard to settle on. Regardless of ingredients, even the medicated potato salad were all fairly priced and appropriate for the event. We were introduced by many new concentrate companies- one of the first we encountered was the Rawsin Extracts [@rawsin.official] team, they were next to Babinka Treats and were raffling off a Double Layered Chocolate Cake with buttercream frosting and the Bibinka signature Cinnamon Toast Crunch topping. An enticing and delicious cake almost distracting from the cleared table top featuring a simple selection of very well packaged rosin extractions. I am always skeptical about my concentrate packages and this was a nice snap shut plastic package great for storage for later use. No floppy envelopes that can get wet in a spill and potentially ruin the concentrate (trust me - been there). The other company I met up with was Baking Slabs [@baking_slabs] super generous providing an awesome sample sizes Fire Og x Bubba as a calling card. I was able to try is and it provided an amazing indica hybrid effect. It was the first concentrate I could see up close that was also super stable and bright gold. The extraction was clean and clear and I would most certainly be picking up the next opportunity I find. The event carried on with a variety of music from hip hop by a group of @1bigdoty @thatniggalodeezy @dphunk420 the SmokeYourCrew and the only female rap artist I've seen grace the stage- @NaturalRedDiva which was a great performance and plenty of energy. The performance suffered from bad audio engineering. The hard mic feedback kept me at a distance. I worried about ear damage and was surprised by those who were right up against the stage. The audio improved when @IrieNationz took the stage and played less spoken word and more melody. It was a great style of music to round out the night in a relaxing manner. Closing out the night around 8pm all of the raffles started to take place. It was awesome to see all of the winners claim their prize and take plenty of photos. It was great seeing all the audience show some love to the great companies that attended and contributed to Pharm Fest this past weekend. I also really wanted a slice of that chocolate cake. Pharm Fest is an event that I would happily say I would attend again, especially it running so smoothly for it’s first in the heart of DTLA. The event will only become more fleshed out from here. You can watch our overview video for Pharm Fest on our Youtube page [<a href="https://youtu.be/Rpx7Z6Y-9Q">youtube.com/weedporndaily] and see the booths, performers, and weed we enjoyed. Much love to the team at Pharm Fest and Wendy for throwing a sick event. From a patient’s perspective it went off without a hitch.