Cannabis contests are becoming more prevalent as states continue to legalize. Most competitions rely on panels of expert judges to critique products, the vast majority of whom do so on a volunteer basis. But a new event in Ohio is prepared to pay big for folks willing to take on the arduous task of assessing pot—aka the dream weed gig.
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Organizers of the upcoming Stargazer Cannabis Festival are seeking judges for the event’s joint-rolling contests. Hoping to attract top talent, the team is offering top dollar for the coveted positions.
“We are paying $100 an hour, you know, to just smoke joints,” Stargazer founder Chad Thompson told a local NBC affiliate.
The joint judging job is not for the faint of heart, according to Thompson. He expects the process to take several hours, with entries scored on functionality, creativity, stability, and, of course, smokability.
“If they’re somebody who smokes maybe once a month, maybe they might not be the best person,” Thompson added. “But you know, if they’re a pretty regular smoker, I think they’ll be able to handle it.”
Contestants can enter the “classic” or “artistic” category, which will take place on July 27. The latter category is expected to feature wild creations, such as “tanks, cars, and birds.” Pot purists may want to stick to the classic competition, focused on the traditional J.
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It’s not the first time a stoner dream job has made headlines. Rolling paper brand DaySavers went viral earlier this year after announcing it was seeking a full-time content creator who would make upwards of $70,000 a year to smoke weed. The company recently partnered with the Cannabis Research Coalition and the Network of Applied Pharmacognosy (NAP), offering to pay volunteers a small fee to smoke free joints for scientific purposes.
Qualified tokers interested in the Stargazer joint judging kit are encouraged to apply online. While the job may only be temporary, adding “weed critic” to a resume may bode well for people looking to join Ohio’s emerging cannabis industry.
