I went to the Traditional Wuanaland event in downtown Los Angeles yesterday and there were friendly women handing out large bags of free samples, hoodies, grinders, etc., and Creative Directors with long hair also from Chicago—well, technically a suburb, but you know what I mean. Three-dimensional artists, muralists and photographers were all present. There was a grower named Dima (aka The Russian Assassin) who gave me a tour of this massive indoor facility, from the “Mother Room” to the packaging room, which had a dozen employees in it all wearing gloves and, for the most part, smiling. Thank you for the tour, Dima; you’re doing excellent work.

Aside from all of that stuff, there were drones, and influencers with a lot of style—a lot of style indeed. There were food trucks, snow cone and gummy vendors, churros by Hippie Churro; I wandered around the retail side of the facility and saw a chihuahua—which completely brightened up my day—and talked with one of the budtenders named José who was eager to answer any question I had, so I asked him what his favorite strain was and he listed off three, like any great salesman would.

I think I must have drunk five bottles water. So it was good that portable toilets were available (nice ones). There was a VIP section and a VVIP section—a “WIP” section, perhaps?—both of which required specific wristbands. Each section had a different jewelry selection, which I found out after I entered. It was dark, it was busy and there were comfortable couches and a bar. DaBaby also was present. As was Antonio Brown, who I FaceTimed with earlier in the day, and he said, “Traditional [is]It’s the greatest thing ever. Listen, the Gelato—the orange pack—will change your life. It’s the best product, it’s the best vibe in Cali. You feel me?” Our in-person interactions were limited, but he seemed genuine and tired of being famous. I wish him luck.

Gunna did a great job, and it was very cool.

I had a conversation with the proprietor of the operation. The owner of the operation spoke for 30 minutes and explained how he built a 150,000 square foot warehouse from scratch. ft warehouse in California City, and how “the government doesn’t want federal legalization because they want to control it state-by-state; and local governments … they don’t want legalization either, because they’re making so much money through their state with all these high taxes.” He also said, “We want to bring a stigma back about cannabis that it’s for everybody … Weed doesn’t discriminate, right? Just like us, we love everybody; there’s no race, there’s no religion, there’s no color. This is all about green.” And walking through the event, seeing all the different types of people—college kids, senior citizens, Asian, Latino, etc. etc. etc.—I kind of believed him.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Arthur Reyna, one of Traditional’s attorneys. He wore a suit, which made him stick out more than the celebrities, and he was by far, one of the most hospitable people that I’ve met in the cannabis industry and beyond. Lauren, Lauren’s wife, was also very friendly.

Smoking was prohibited, however, people who did smoke were told immediately to quit by the muscular security officers. The event was fun and lighthearted, with both parties enjoying the game of cat and mouse. I saw people laughing, twerking, networking, and trying to exist in a world that often feels as if it doesn’t want us here. That’s weed, I suppose…

Overall, I had a wonderful time—if you’re ever in California wondering what to do, go check out Traditional. The best thing about any event was the part where you leave and then go to sleep.