DOPE Magazine hosted the Budtender Appreciation Day (B.A.D.) Party in Los Angeles.

The B.A.D. event was a special invite party for sponsors, collectives, brands and budtenders. The goal and message of the event was to show an appreciation for all the work budtenders put in to serve the community. Held at The Container Yard in Downtown L.A.’s Art District, DOPE didn’t hold back, throwing one of the best cannabis parties I’ve ever been to.

Here are 21 savage reasons why the event was so memorable:

BAD Party Dope Magazine

1. Staff That Enjoy Being There: Another beautiful day in L.A. for this outdoor event. I was greeted by the super friendly staff.

Having the head of the company at the event makes a huge difference. It shows you care about the people and what you do. David Tran, CEO of Dope Magazine, was super welcoming. He also handed me a huge King Palm blunt when I arrived. We enjoyed a nice session along with Marc from Pot Brothers at Law. Throughout the whole night, you could see David walking around and talking to almost everyone at the event, having a great time.

I usually prefer to smoke near the end of these events, but it was kind of an honor to get to smoke with David. I also got to meet his humorous relatives who enjoy the good ol’ photo-bomb. Can you see them above?

2. Meeting Other Artists: From there, I was definitely feeling pretty fuzzy. I was tripping out watching Bud Shots Photography fly his drone. He was so nice and shared a lot of tips about flying in L.A.

3. Fun Activities: Alicia and I met in San Diego. We just struck up conversation crossing the street together. I love her energy and her passion. She showed me how to kill it in Skee Ball.

4. Special Surprises: I met Peter (recently engaged, congrats!) and Matty. They said we had to try “this”.  I was wondering what “it” was, and BOOM they whipped it out. I’ve always read about these specially rolled blunts, but this was my first time seeing one! It was very exciting.

5. Sharing: it’s at the core of Cannabis culture. Made from 2 Grams dry herbs and 2 Grams rosin, this was one of the most delicious things I’ve smoked. It burned so slow!! The Thai Stick made by High Thai SF.

6. Top Quality Vendors: Cody, the CEO of Northern Emeralds, is another wizard in the Cannabis world. He’s just one of those people you meet that has something special to them. I asked if he tried the Thai Stick, and he said he doesn’t smoke during these events (something I relate to). However, I told him I did make an exception this time haha.

Cody was kind enough to share the story of how Northern Emeralds grew their company. A lot of it started through the popularity of their signature strain Titan OG. I took a couple Titan pre-rolls home and it was probably the highest I’ve been on buds. We had a great lengthy talk, as he shared more insights on branding, marketing and building a team.

When he spoke about building a team, I really started listening because I’m in this position. As he explained his philosophy of company culture, I could see what he was talking about right in front of me. Standing inside their booth, I watched how the staff interacted with others: friendly, welcoming, passionate. The Northern Emeralds culture he preached was ingrained in his staff, to the point where it didn’t feel like a company, but more like friends hanging out. I understood how great leaders lead by example.

Cody welcomed me to check out their office as we finished our conversation. One day I hope to see it up in Northern California, it seems like an incredible place. I left our conversation inspired, hoping to one day build a team like his.

7. Munchies: Of course, at a cannabis event, it’s a must to fill attendees bellies! The Taco Man had a buffet serving up bacon-wrapped street dogs and their infamous tacos. The Coolhaus had people lined up for ice cream sandwiches all night long.

8. Games: As the sun set, I walked around some more. I watched people get ridiculously high off Bong Pong. As opposed to alcohol, where your drunkenness diminishes your accuracy… with stoners– your accuracy seems to improve?

9. Graffiti Art: More interactive activities to ignite your stoner creativity!

10. Community: Running into familiar faces and friends is always great. Enrico and Mary, a powerhouse couple from High Standards Agency, are everywhere; true hustlers and also delightful people to chat with.

11. Education: Lady in Red. I sat beside Alexis at the L.A. Task Force Town Hall. She’s the Chairwoman of Women Grow L.A. She shared a tip with me: when you start off, it helps to work together with other companies that share the same goals as you. You can then attend various cannabis events as a whole.

This gentleman said he had the most dangerous joint. I didn’t know what he was talking about, until he showed me the Kief wrapped joint !

12. Meeting friends of friends: I met JC from Canna Enterprises at a very suspicious local meetup. The hosts were an hour late, so I ended up learning a lot from him. He is one of the most knowledgeable people in the industry I’ve met.

13. Massages: All that talking, walking, smoking, eating… why not have some topical messages from Papa and Barkley?

or… enter another dimension ?

14. Fun Competitions: Joe from Vendor Sesh watches as the possible winner of the Speed Rolling Competition smokes his Joint.

15. Music: at any event this is always a must, but especially for cannabis smokers! We feel the V.I.B.E.S.! DJ Tele Fresco was playing amazing tunes all night.

16. The event has things people *want* to share online:  Bonita records a live video feed by the Marley Naturals booth.

17. Samples: Found a little piece of Canada! https://www.craftedcannabis.co/

18. Eye Candy: Look at that beautiful beard!

19. Amazing Gift Bags: Skye was awesome; I was a little paranoid when I left that all the gift bags would be gone. She made sure that she would save me one in case! Thank You Skye!

A message from David: “It Means….Defend Our Plants Everywhere!”

20 + 21. Environment: Before leaving, I just had to take in the surreal environment. Such great attention to detail!

In the end, B.A.D. stood for Budtender Appreciation Day. It was all about thankfulness and gratitude to those who work hard, educate and serve you the bud… the Budtenders!

Thank you, Dope Magazine for creating such an amazing event and bringing the community together. They really set the bar high for what a cannabis event should be like. I saw nothing but people relaxing, chatting, laughing and smoking in peace. So why was the event so good? They understood that it’s not just about hosting an event, it’s about welcoming you into their world; they created a memorable experience.

– 21, 21.