14 expert picks from across the US and Canada.

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The Prairie State is known for so much more than just vast stretches of grassland. Now four years after we launched the first Illinois: People’s Choice Edition, we’ve seen a wide variety of cannabis products and brands take home a coveted High Times trophy. But this year in particular, Illinois cannabis brands have given it everything they’ve got.

We announced the launch of this year’s Illinois: People’s Choice Edition 2023 earlier this summer, and gathered up some of the state’s finest products spanning 15 different categories, both adult-use and medical. But we previously held the hugely successful Illinois: People’s Choice Edition in 2020, 2021, and 2022. Here’s a glimpse of the trending strains and other products that won over our resident judges back then.

Even though the world was still waist-deep in the pandemic at the time, Illinois cannabis brands came through with shining colors. At the Illinois: People’s Choice Edition 2020, the fourth People’s Choice Edition competition to launch following the 2020 Hemp Cup, Oklahoma, and Colorado, with only seven categories. Back then, Revolution Cannabis brought home trophies with Florida Orange, Gorilla’d Cheese, and Turbo Lemon Cake, while we also saw wins from Bedford Grow with Grape Sugar Cookies, Velvet Glove with Columbia Care, Jenny Kush with Aeriz, Private Stock Mag Landrace with Verano, and Red Line Haze with Cresco, in addition to many other worthwhile wins from other product categories.

In 2021 the category list increased up to eight, and Revolution Cannabis took home numerous trophies for strains such as Blueberry Clementine, Mac & Cheese (Spicy Papaya Cut), Banana Runtz, along with Seed & Strain’s Velvet Glove, Aeriz’s Ice Cream Cake and Jenny Kush, Cresco’s Lemon Bean, and Triple 7’s Tropical Runtz and Rainbow Runtz.

That same year, NuEra, Seed & Strain, and Aeriz won in the pre-rolls category. In concentrates, Revolution Cannabis’s Blueberry Clementine Live Resin, Bedford Grow’s Highwayman Live Resin, and Aeriz’s Bundy OG Budder took home a win. Not to mention in edibles, Illinoisans rated edibles from Bedford Grow, Sweet Releaf, Revolution Cannabis, and Bhang, too.

In 2022 our category list increased again, this time to eleven. Brands such as RYTHM entered the game strong with Brownie Scout (and Orange Herijuana in the medical flower category), Fig Farms brought its famous Figment strain, along with UPNORTH’s Durban Poison, Floracal’s Vanilla Cake, and Verano Reserve’s Guru 0 for medical flower. But the previous year’s winning brands also came in with Bedford Grow’s I-95 and Revolution Cannabis’s Peach Crescendo, Miami Punch, and Gorilla’d Cheese (as well as Buttermilk Biscuits in the medical flower category). Revolution Cannabis, RYTHM, and Floracal were also chosen as the winning concentrates and extracts as well.

This time capsule of winners from the past three years shows the evolution of popular brands in Illinois, as you’ll see below. Exceptional cannabis is still being cultivated by Revolution Cannabis, RHYTHM, Aeriz, Verano, Fig Farms, and so much more, but you’ll also find a handful of new brands that joined the competition this year. So without further ado, here is the official list of Illinois: People’s Choice Edition 2023 winners.

In the meantime, the High Times Cannabis Cup: People’s Choice Edition continues to gain speed, so keep an eye out for winners in other regions such as Oregon in December, Massachusetts in January 2024, followed by Arizona in February 2024.

Indica Flower

First Place: nuEra – Cobra Milk

Second Place: RYTHM – Animal Face

Third Place: Revolution – Purple Monarch

Sativa Flower

First place: RYTHM – Jack Herer

Second Place: Revolution – Raspberry Shortcake

Third Place: Seed & Strain – White Grapefruit Cookies

Hybrid Flower

First Place: RYTHM – Slapz

Second Place: Revolution – Crockett’s Dawg

Third Place: Verano Reserve – Yum Yum Reserve Flower

Non-Infused Pre-Rolls

First Place: Revolution – Blueberry Clementine

Second Place: Paul Bunyan – Macnanna

Third Place: Dogwalkers – Mini Dogs – Animal Face

Infused Pre-Rolls

First Place: Moon Walkers – Coffee Creamer Solventless Live Rosin Moon Walkers

Second Place: Revolution – Future Kush Rocket

Third Place: Bedford Grow – Diamond-Infused Pre-Roll – Hot Mint Sundae

Solvent Concentrates

First Place: aeriz – Florida Oranges

Second Place: Superflux – Live Resin Strawberry Bubbles Budder

Third Place: RYTHM – Live Resin – Super Silver Cookies

Non-Solvent Concentrates

First Place: Fig Farms – Blue Face

Second Place: RYTHM – Rosin – Sunset Sherbet

Third Place: Revolution – Moon Boots

Vape Pens & Carts

First Place: Revolution – Florida Orange Live Rosin

Second Place: Superflux – Strawberry Bubbles Live Resin

Third Place: On the Rocks – Fresh Powder Live Rosin Cartridge

Edibles: Gummies

First Place: Goody Bag – Pink Lemonade

Second Place: nuEra – Pink Lemonade Live Resin Gummy

Third Place: Hedy – Sour Cherry Lime Gummies

Edibles: Chocolates & Non-Gummies

First Place: Incredibles – Peanut Budda Buddha Bar

Second Place: KIVA – Churro Bar

Third Place: Mindy’s – Caramelized Chocolate Marshmallow Graham

Edibles: Beverages

First Place: Señorita – Mango

Second Place: CQ – Cola

Third Place: Artet – Mango Ginger Spritz

Topicals, Tinctures, & Capsules

First Place: Doctor Solomon’s – Restore Transdermal Lotion

Second Place: Avexia – Pain Relief Balm 1:1 CBD:THC

Third Place: Remedi – Rest 1:5 Capsules

Medical Flower

First Place: Revolution – Blueberry Clementine

Second Place: RYTHM – Black Afghan

Third Place: Verano Essence – Strawberry Guava Essence

Medical Vape Pens

First Place: Revolution – Blueberry Clementine Live Rosin Cart

Second Place: Beboe – Inspired Vape Pen

Third Place: Verano Reserve – Coconut Cream Pie Reserve Live Resin Cart

Medical Edibles

First Place: Nature’s Grace and Wellness – French Toast White Chocolate Crunch Bar 1:1:1 THC:CBD:CBG

Second Place: Bedford Grow – Sea Salt Caramels

Third Place: On the Rocks – Sour Apricot Apple – Cherry Punch Live Rosin Gummies

A special thank you to our partners and sponsors!

Official Intake Partners:

• Rise Dispensary
• nuEra
• Zen Leaf
• Beyond Hello
• Lux Leaf
• Star Buds

Bronze Sponsor: Kaviar

General Sponsor: Legacy

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