While recreational weed and medical weed, for the most part, are illegal in Brazil, cannabis consumption is widespread and can be easy to purchase on the streets and in certain neighborhoods if you know where to look. Poor-quality weed called ‘Prensado’ (aka brick weed) is fairly cheap, costing anywhere from R$10 - R$20 a gram (2 - 4 euros) while homegrown flower (if you’re able to find it) costs up to R$50 - R$200 a gram (10 - 40 euros). Even though it’s fairly common, penalties can be quite harsh; If caught smoking or possessing smaller amounts of weed, you’ll be facing a fine ranging from R$500 to R$1500, and if possessing large amounts, jailed for 5 to 15 years as selling, transporting or trafficking cannabis is extremely illegal in Brazil.
Despite the harsh penalties, cannabis enthusiasts still find a way to unite and organize world-renowned cannabis competitions. Cristian Medina, the representative of Fast Buds in Chile and Latin America tells us a bit more about the experience of participating in the 2022 edition of Dabadoo held in Curitiba, Brazil.
1. Dabadoo, A World-Renowned Extracts Competition
Dabadoo is the first-ever professional cannabis competition dedicated exclusively to concentrates and extracts which you may know as dry sift, dabs, wax, oil, and budder, among others. It’s the only international cannabis competition of this kind held regularly around the world, being one of the most exclusive competitions as it’s a highly prestigious award in the cannabis world.
Created and hosted by Mila Jansen (aka the Hash Queen) and the Pollinator brand from Amsterdam, the event gathers cannabis enthusiasts from all over the world who get the chance to compete in the ‘Solvent-based’, ‘Solventless’ and ‘Rosin’ categories and get to be crowned “Hash Royalty” by the Hash queen.
Nowadays totaling an average of over 45 samples evaluated by more than 10 professional connoisseurs and +150 judges, what first started as an invitation-only venue held regularly in Barcelona, Valencia and Amsterdam has now spread worldwide, from Denver to San Francisco to Uruguay to Jamaica, and most recently in 2022, to Curitiba, Brazil where Cristian Medina, Fast Buds official representative in Chile took 1st place home with our Gorilla Zkittlez Auto in the ‘Best Solvent-Based Extraction’ in the 2022 edition of Dabadoo tells us a bit more about the experience.
2. Gorilla Zkittlez Auto Wins Best Solvent-Based Extract!
Cristian has been participating in cannabis competitions for years and has won many, many wards. In this year’s edition of Dabadoo in Brasil, Fast Buds won first place in the ‘Best Solvent-Based Extraction’ with our Gorilla Zkittlez Auto, grown and processed flawlessly by Cristian.
“... It means a lot to fast Buds as a company, and to me personally because it’s a huge effort to breed the best genetics, grow the best flowers, and produce the best extracts, so winning first place means that the work was well done. I think I won because I do it with love… “
Cristian not only took first place home but was also able to take a closer look at how this type of competition works in a country where cannabis is 100% illegal. Here’s what he had to say:
“...I know it’s the same Dabadoo as Dabadoo Barcelona or Amsterdam but it’s was different because the laws in the country are different. I enjoyed every single part of the experience but having to travel with the samples to another country, as a foreign participant, is a big deal issue due to the risks the event was a huge success and it was definitely worth it…”
“...The cup means a lot to me because it shows the hard work we as a team puts into our products but also the effort I put into growing and processing the product I entered; I’m extremely happy because it is one of the most famous cups in Europe, so it was very important to me personally, but also to the whole Fast Buds team…Even if I didn’t win, the event was great, the person in charge of this cup, Mila, is a great person and gives a soul to the cup so just participating is a great honor.…”
At the end of the day, as he mentioned, it was definitely worth it. Not only because it’s a highly prestigious award, but also because it shows the effort put into breeding Fast Buds’ genetics, how far autoflowers have come, and the huge potential that autoflowering genetics have to offer.
