Legends of Hashish II Offers a Full Spectrum of Culture Preservation

Rooted in decades of international acclaim, on December 2nd and 3rd, 2022 the next installment of the U.S.-based Legends of Hashish will celebrate the most exquisite cannabis genetics, the most talented cannabis cultivators, the most passionate cannabis consumers, and the finest custom glass in the world… all through the appreciation of the highest grade hash and the craftspeople who have mastered its extraction.

Nowhere is the erosion of grassroots cannabis culture on more full display than at the endless amount of cannabis-related events being held these days. Folks who have never had their hands in the soil and who have never slanged a sack are throwing bougie weed parties where you can’t sell or even smoke weed and they’re laughing all the way to the bank. Even the old-school face-to-face sesh seems to be going up in smoke these days as our digital world increasingly rewards remoteness.

Somewhere high above these mass-produced corporate events is the ideal model for the future of cannabis gatherings, and Legends of Hashish is where it’s at.

On December 2nd in Los Angeles, 150 select guests and 40 of the world’s best hash makers will gather for a flavorful night of terpene exploration ranging from a fully catered Lebanese dinner to an open hash bar offering 60 different varieties spanning three separate categories: Melt, Rosin, and Dry Sift.

The following morning, December 3rd, will see the same crowd reconvene, with an additional 100 guests, for a catered brunch along with enough coffee and tea to keep the hash sampling going strong for all in attendance.

Co-produced by cannabis industry OG Addison DeMoura and his team at 800lbs Mantra, along with a true legend of the hashish culture and the founder of Legends of Hashish, Marcus Richardson (aka BC BubbleMan), this December’s gathering is the second of its kind here in the United States but pulls from decades of tradition overseas.

“Legends dinner is about hash and hashish culture and embodies the traditional journey that hashish has taken to arrive here today,” says DeMoura. “We celebrate the people and history of hash through dinner and drink, sharing stories and knowledge after the harvest season and with the people we love.”

The Trailblazing History of the Legends of Hashish

Catching up with Marcus, better known as BC BubbleMan in the cannabis community, we learned that the roots of the Legends of Hashish run all the way back to the year 2000 and a sesh in Amsterdam.

Sitting and smoking with Skunkman Sam, a man who would become a fellow pillar in cannabis culture history, the two were exchanging their thoughts on the variety of the crowds they were witnessing at High Times Cannabis Cup events. “Some great people… some not so great,” as Marcus remembers.

Joking with his friend, the consummate hash maker quipped, “If only we could toss them all in a bubble bag and just pull out the 90 micron heads, we’d be in a really good situation.”

This concept of pulling the best from the rest is innate in cannabis extraction yet so often lost in its community, but the Legends of Hashish was indeed spawned from that desire to assemble the premiere minds and tastemakers into an intimate and exclusive event. For many years, across several countries, it has done exactly that.

With a humble start and help from friends like Skunkman Sam, Robert Clarke, Michael Rich, and others, we had an artist craft 50 aesthetically pleasing laminate invitations and made his way into that year’s Cannabis Cup to see if he could pull 50 worthy heads.

“This was so different than what anyone had ever seen before,” says Marcus, “We told people that we just want to celebrate hash and that we don’t want to promote ourselves. We don’t want to have cameras or media, we just want to promote hashish and pay homage to these OGs.”

Much like the early days of the Emerald Cup, those first Legends of Hashish events were elusive and exclusive out of necessity. Just as those Emerald Triangle farmers showed up in masks to conceal their identities in the early to mid-2000s, the guest list for the initial Legends of Hashish gatherings included incredibly high-level global hash smugglers and producers who hesitantly accepted the invitations.

The remainder of the invites were similarly hard-earned and, more often than not, would come down to showing Marcus a chunk of the hash that you had made and hoping it piqued his interest and got you in.

This was not safe or legal, at all, for anyone involved. Let’s be honest, though, that element of danger and bucking the mainstream only added to the appeal of these game-changing events.

That intangible is something that no hotel rooftop CBD soiree or a mile of vendor tents in some random parking lot will ever capture.

Though that first Legends of Hashish party was solely intended to be a celebration of the hash-making craft, anytime you get that much talent and that many terps together, friendly competition organically arises.

So, when Skunkman Sam dropped the gauntlet at the first event, challenging everyone in attendance to put forth their fire, the tradition was born and the Legends of Hashish became the hottest ticket in town.

Over the years, Marcus took the show on the road hosting Legends of Hashish events not only in Amsterdam, but in Barcelona, Vancouver, and even in Jamaica. But it wasn’t until a heavy hitter like Addison DeMoura approached him that Marcus was convinced to introduce the event to the U.S.

Seeing the winds of change shifting in California, and with full confidence in DeMoura’s ability to make shit happen, Marcus and the team at 800lbs Mantra held the first U.S. Legends of Hashish on November 27th, 2021 at the 91 Club in Los Angeles.

At the time, Marcus remembers thinking, “I have built a really special thing here and I don’t want it to be destroyed and I’m a little bit nervous… but I trusted Addison and so I said let’s do this, let’s put it out there and try to do it –  and we did it.”

Looking back on it all, Demoura told us, “When I first experienced Legends of Hashish back in Amsterdam, I remember sitting down about halfway through the event and thinking to myself, ‘holy shit’, and to be honest with you, that’s what we’re trying to create here, the same experience, but in the United States. I’m hoping when I look around, I see that same reaction from the people attending. That’s our goal. The best people, the best food, and the best hash… all together to create the absolute best experience. “

A smashing success by all accounts, that invite-only event sent the cannabis community from coast to coast into Defcon1 FOMO as everyone on the outside looking in could only imagine the amazing flow of flavors and effects.

So now, they’re doing it again and while the guest list has grown a bit, it’s still not too far off from that first iteration more than two decades ago and that is part of the appeal.

The Future of Hashish

The future of cannabis is uncertain.

“Taxed and regulated”, it turns out, is a far cry from “legalized”.

As regulated markets boom and then consolidate right on schedule, corporations begin to dominate markets and quality and culture suffer.

But, as with anything worth loving, we are confident that craft cannabis and high-grade hash will always have a niche of connoisseurs and craftspeople passionate enough to make it worth seeking out.

These dedicated breeders, growers, hash makers, and glass artists will always offer the finer things in life to those who are willing to wade through the mids to find it.

Though some may question the validity of the exclusivity model that the Legends of Hashish is based upon, it is important to remember that while the cannabis plant welcomes all, cannabis culture has traditionally protected and policed itself by weeding out the uncool.

If tickets are on sale to the general public, you have a 99%+ chance of failing to do that.

So, yes, we think that exclusivity will play a large role in the future of cannabis events and in the preservation of cannabis culture.

As for the Legends of Hashish, the future is bright.

Though still not “legal”, regulation has allowed many hash makers to step out of the shadows and proudly showcase their talents at events such as these. This also allows the event organizers to court relevant sponsors and include worthy media outlets, propelling the event’s popularity with the masses and further strengthening the honor of being invited.

As for where the Legends of Hashish might land next, spin the globe.

“It certainly won’t be limited to Los Angeles,” says Marcus, adding, “We already have people asking us in some different areas around the U.S. and Legends is an international event as well so if we can grow it, and if we can do well with it, we can throw these things all over the world, anywhere that wants to celebrate hashish culture by paying homage to the old school while recognizing the new school.”

Legends of Hashish II will take place December 2nd and 3rd, 2022 at the 91 Club Vortex in Los Angeles California.
Interested sponsors can contact info@legendsofhashish.com

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