I think the dream of many Ganjiers is to professionally judge cannabis at the highest levels in the industry. It’s a simple dream but one that is often elusive to even the very best of us. There
is a wide variety of cannabis cups in the country but finding a spot on the judges panel is hard, and finding one that is truly professional is almost nonexistent. Unpacking the word
“professional” is key to the dreams of the Ganjier because a professional status comes with professional payment. Too often cannabis cups prey upon the average consumer’s desire to
consume free products and treat the opportunity to judge cannabis cups as payment in and of itself.

The Ganjier graduate holds themselves to the highest standards of the industry and not only should not be lumped into an amateur judging panel, but should also be compensated for their
time, expertise and commitment to what ultimately entails weeks of work. Folks are so enamored with the idea of judging cannabis that they often fail to consider the time commitment required to adequately judge cannabis products in a way that adheres to the professional standards the Ganjier program seeks to apply to industry. We can say that, conservatively, judging a cannabis product in a way that thoroughly evaluates the effects of the product, is a 3 to 4 hour affair and a cannabis cup often has dozens, if not hundreds of products that need to be judged.

MJ Unpacked Announces Competition and Ganjier Judges

This amounts to weeks of labor and the Ganjier graduate is the professional most suited for this type of work…but…how many professionals do you know that work without compensation? The answer is not many but the cannabis industry writ large has exploited the novelty of legality and the promise of free product in a manner that essentially gets them a free labor class of experts (if a Ganjier is even selected to judge). This injustice is starting to change due largely in part by the standard that has been set with the illustrious and enjoyable MJ Unpacked Cannabis Cup. MJ Unpacked is one of the more fun and better organized cannabis conventions that plays host to a cannabis cup in Atlantic City NJ. What sets this cup apart from others is that MJ Unpacked exclusively employs Ganjier judges to evaluate the judging categories and more importantly, pays them per entry! The management of MJ Unpacked see the value that Ganjier’s bring to the competition stage and compensate the Ganjiers for the work they put into the cup itself. This means that we finally have a stepping stone in the evolution of the judging industry that crosses the professional line to create a viable pathway for the Ganjier graduate community. While there is much ground still to be gained, the Ganjier partnership with MJ Unpacked has helped to create the new standard for cannabis competition in a way that puts money in the pockets of Ganjiers and elevates the standards of a cannabis cup to the highest level in the country.

MJ Unpacked is growing year to year and we look forward to growing the paid Ganjier judging positions right alongside them.

More information: Judges will be announced soon, entries to the MJU Cannabis Cup are open until March 20th, 2026.

Featured image from MJ Unpacked.