Counterculture consists of a vast swathe of movements, which often are a reaction against conservatism and the established norm. The effects of the first counterculture movements in the 1960s—which culminated in entire festivals celebrating hippie culture—have contributed dramatically to shaping the modern consciousness. To celebrate the history of counterculture (and the people who helped shape it) the Counterculture Hall of Fame holds its induction ceremony during the High Times Cannabis Cup. This high honour is given to a person that has made history by founding, living and leading a counterculture.

The High Times Cannabis Cup is the world’s foremost cannabis festival. Founded in 1988, the event requires judges from around the world to sample, and vote for their favourite marijuana variety. These judges—one can only imagine their repertoire of skills—decide the Cannabis Cup (overall winner in the cannabis variety competition), best new product, best booth, best glass, best hash and best Nederhash. The event also includes live music, educational seminars, and an expo for marijuana-related products from cannabis-oriented businesses.

In 2010, High Times conducted its first Cannabis Cup in the United States. Since then, it has expanded to several cities and with it, attracted a host of controversies. Curiously, the magazine could bring the gathering to at least one U.S. city each year for most of this decade, even as recreational pot continued to be outlawed. Participants who desired to sample the variety of greens simply needed to arrive in medication tents, where they could receive a prescription for marijuana from doctors for just about every ailment under the sun. In 2011, a Denver jazz club was repeatedly raided by suspicious police officers for what was known on the street as “sealed medicating tents”.

Flash forward to 2018 where in the U.S., pot has been legalized in nine states. In comparison, the Dutch marijuana scene has slowly been on the decline. In 2014, Amsterdam saw its last and final High Times Cannabis Cup, after 27 years of the cup in Amsterdam. This was partly due to the growing uncertainty about Dutch cannabis laws, the now available warmer, legal cannabis locations in the U.S. and various other countries, and the ill-fated and first ever police raid on the 2010 Amsterdam Cannabis Cup location.

But where is the Counterculture Hall of Fame actually located? Where can people who revel in the high, worship their mentors? Perhaps the Counterculture Hall of Fame is characterized by not needing a physical address, no place of pilgrimage that cannabis and counterculture enthusiasts can visit; it exists on a different level. That makes it different—pretty much what counterculture is all about.

Although the list of inductees is quite long and impressive, a select group of them stand out from the rest of the pack. Bob Marley (1997), Jamaican singer, song-writer, and committed Rastafarian was the first person to be inducted into the Counterculture Hall of Fame. Jack Kerouac (1999) was an American novelist and poet of Canadian descent. He is considered to be the pioneer of the Beat Generation. Ina May Gaskin (2000) was the first woman and the first living inductee to the Hall of Fame. Paul Krassner (2001) an American author, journalist, and comedian was the founding member of the Yippies, a counterculture press.