phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES NOV 3RD–NOV 9TH, 2022 State Licensed Dispensaries & Doctor Certifications | CANNABIS | Bong from p 39 ‘Keep Hitting It No Matter What’ Before each round, the judges emptied the water from the glass bongs, disinfected the mouthpieces, cleaned the bowl with a metal pick, and added fresh water. Next to the glass water bongs, the judges filled the trays with flowers weighing in at 1.5 grams of premium weed for the final. Competitors kept their sunglasses on to cover bloodshot eyes. It’s sort of like poker — but here, you can’t show your opponent you’re too baked — as the eyes are very telling. Freeland wore a pair of pink- colored sunglasses. “My technique is I just got to keep hitting it no matter what and not worry about breathing in oxygen,” he explained. He goes “until the bowl is cherry.” Freeland competed against Marco, who wore old-school black sunglasses. He didn’t say a word to New Times; he was in a zone. Marco flipped his hat backward so his bill wouldn’t interfere with his bong hits and, with that, seemingly activated his cannabeast mode. The two squared up with only a 6-foot wooden table with two 3-foot glass bongs separating them. They might just be the fastest bong rippers in the Valley. The competitors each had torch lighters in hand and index fingers ready to push the trigger. “One … two … three — goooooo!” a judge yelled. The two men loaded the flower into the bowls and did their thing. The judge yelled, “Come on! You guys got this. Don’t give up.” Both competitors took massive and nonstop consecutive hits; the water bubbled feverishly in both bongs. Then Freeland’s flowers caught on fire, and he kept puffing. He wasn’t fazed and kept huffing and puffing, decimating the flowers. Marco was behind by a nugget. He was pulling up the bowl and permitting air to enter his bong, which slightly slowed down the burn. Two additional judges monitored the bowls and ensured each flower made it inside. A fan screamed, “Clear that shit!” The two bong smokers toked hard; veins appeared on their temples. Their bong smoke combined in the airspace and hotboxed the area. By the minute mark, Freeland torched the last of the weed and took a longer-than- normal drag. He then tossed the torch lighter onto the wooden table, and the judge pulled out the bowl and inspected it. The other judge verified that no green was left in the bowl and gave the proverbial head nod. Freeland exhaled a big cloud of smoke, and the judges proclaimed him the winner. He extended his fist and gave Marco a fist bump, then raised his hands and arms in the air and yelled, “Fuck yeah!” “Oh, it is an amazing feeling,” Freeland said. “I kept telling myself, ‘Enjoy yourself,’ and that’s what got me to the next round. I just kept lighting that bowl until the bowl was cherry. And then, no matter what, just kept pushing that bowl down.” ‘Stoned Not Stupid’ In addition to Bong Wars and the other competitions, the festival sprawled across a six-acre grass and dirt venue. Live music was provided by The Conveyors reggae band, Rio Grande and Optimystical, which played psychedelic hop. Food trucks sold pizza, poke, and cold drinks. The event is popular, and attendees faced an entry line that stretched a quarter-mile long at some points during the first day. Barracuda Mike Madriaga Cannabis had bags of soil for sale and signed people up for cultivation classes. 420 Growers Choice sold Oregon Super Soil, while Mary Jane SmokeWear offered its signature Dope Sacks and cannabis gear. High Monks NFTs was on site and taught attendees about cannabis non-fungible tokens. A lawyer had a booth with a banner that read, “Ever busted for marijuana? Find free expungement legal aid here!” Finally, Waxx Made set up a pop-up smoke shop and slung bong masks, “Stoned not Stupid” baseball caps, pastel-colored unicorn pipes, and pillows that resembled plastic baggies filled with weed. “All these vendors come in, and they enter their product in the competition — the best of the best,” said Brandy Wise, a longtime staff member of Errl Cup. Morrison and Jay Neri formed Errl Cup in 2015 to provide Arizona cannabis patients with clean, consistent, and safe access to cannabis. Morrison had just lost his sister to multiple sclerosis and saw how difficult it was for her — and others — to obtain cannabis. So they created Errl Cup and brought in growers, dispensaries, and businesses to provide their products so attendees could test them and vote. The event has since evolved into an apprecia- tion festival for providers with high-quality cannabis. In 2023, Morrison said he wants to add a contest for eating THC-infused food or edibles. “It’ll be a two-stage who can eat it the quickest but then come back in an hour,” he explained. 41
