Many of the biggest names in California cannabis converged on Terp Basel this past weekend and hit Miami Beach for the art show that inspired the name. 

Terp Basel was bigger than ever this year. The event took over a North Miami skatepark for four nights. The different themed evenings feature charity fundraisers, fashion shows and various wellness activities to wrap the weekend up on Sunday.

One thing all those nights had in common was some of the best cannabis in town. A wide array of top flavors came to town for both Basels. All of those killers were impressed with what the cannabis culture of Miami had to offer. 

The best flower we saw on the trip grown in Florida came out of Preferred Gardens’ grow at The Flowery facility that Preferred’s owner and operator David Polley helped design. 

“Art Basel brings the weed scene from around the world,” Polley told L.A. Weekly. “The culture in the state of Florida, medical and street, is at an all-time high. Preferred Gardens has been received with open arms. We plan to continue to do our part to push the industry forward. One thing is for sure, we love Florida.”

California’s premier cannabis event host made his first trip to Florida for Terp Basel. With the amount of time Adam ill has spent doing cannabis events, he’s a great gauge for where things are at.

“I didn’t know what to expect for my first time in Miami, let alone the state of Florida,” ill told L.A. Weekly, “but the cannabis scene was lit. People from all over the country came out to Terp Basel.”

He noted he was surprised with some of the quality of the locally grown flower and the hash scene.

Weavers showed off the new Mothership custom glass tips.

“I got to meet some local legends who helped bring the haze and OG to the whole country.” ill said, “I also experienced some of the best coffee in my life. I will definitely be going back for more cannabis events.”

The weekend featured four different rolling contests.

One of the big stars of the show was Shant “Fidel Hydro” Damirdjian. People love Fidel as much as they love the weed.

“It was honestly awesome,” Damirdjian told L.A. Weekly. “I’ve been to Miami many many times before but I really enjoyed it all in all. It’s cool to be able to travel and be embraced by cannabis communities all over the world but to know and feel that Miami has a strong and heady cannabis community, it resonates with me. I’m a man of the community.”

One of the things we noted on our trips to cover the Microdose Wonderland conference in Miami over the last three years was how much the cannabis scene seemed to jump each year. We asked Damirdjian if he had similar experiences. He quickly agreed with the sentiment, 

“It’s dope and I’m not surprised. It’s cool to see everyone’s lungs elevate to a new level. Right? That’s all we’re doing,” Damirdjian said. “You know, we’re all starting at a base layer of how much we can smoke and how much gets us high. We start developing more critical opinions on weed, we critique it more now.”

Fidel and his brother Serge.

Fidel argued one thing you see among all the elite smokers over there is a hunt for the combination of potency and new exotic flavors.

“Literally, everyone’s going from smoking boof shit to finding out what the popping brands are from California to all over the state,” Damirdjian closed. “They’re all coming to these heavy events and it’s putting people on some sense.”

The legendary Harry Palms of Bloom Seed Co even made a rare appearance.

We’ll keep an eye on Florida as the cannabis scene there continues to pick up.



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