40,000 robot joints and a smoking Mike Tyson – That's how wild Europe's largest hemp fair was Mary Jane
Twenty years ago, it was easy to spot the classic stoner: a shaggy guy with chip crumbs in his beard who preferred to turn over in bed while others went to work.
But since the partial legalization of cannabis last year, this image is no longer so clichéd.
Today, the flower is mainstream—medicine, a stimulant, and above all, a business. It's smoked by people in suits, uniforms, recently retired—or even by Mike Tyson.
We were at the Mary Jane – Europe’s largest hemp fair, which is as colorful as its visitors themselves.
The Mary Jane will be running from June 19th to 22nd – and is already in its tenth year. The trade fair celebrated its inception in 2016 in a small venue in Friedrichshain, Berlin.
Nhung Nguyen and her boyfriend founded the trade fair with a starting capital of 17,000 euros, back then in their 20-square-meter shared room. There were 80 exhibitors and 8,000 visitors, as reported by Die Welt.
Today? The halls are bursting at the seams. Visitor numbers have quadrupled, and a festival has been added—featuring artists like Haiyti and Samy Deluxe. In 2025, the fair will run for four days for the first time. And yet, it has retained its living-room vibe.
Right at the first booth, we meet Manuel, who, at 2.10 meters tall, offers almost more advertising space than the booth itself. He works at RAW and, with his broad grin, makes it much easier for us to get started at the trade fair.
With the “stoner helmet” you can smoke six joints at once – an invention by Josh Kesselmann, the founder of RAW Papers, as Manuel explains to us almost religiously.
The RAW brand is actually known among smokers for its rolling papers, not necessarily for its crazy gadgets. Like a lighter with a built-in windscreen or an umbrella with a handle that you can put a joint in and smoke. Stoners like to have one hand free, says Manuel.
Last year, things weren't as relaxed as they were in those opening minutes. The fair was under fire: it was overcrowded, admission was halted, and the police had to be called in.
It was also reported that synthetic cannabinoids were sold on the first day of the fair, as “Faze Mag” reported.
This year, a second entrance was installed, and exhibitors were apparently randomly checked, according to the " Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland ." Today, everything seems to be going according to plan.
Although a few visitors do fall over from time to time, this is less due to the festival itself and more to the mix of sun and the grass they brought with them.
Exhibitors cover the entire spectrum of the cannabis business. A very popular item: dried flowers in small plastic boxes.
Similar to a perfume bottle, you press a silicone button and can sniff the flowers. At the medical cannabis company Remexian Pharma, for example, the varieties are called "Mimosa," "Banana Daddy," "Pink Champagne," and "Think Fast."
Equipment will also be on display, such as for trimming or watering plants for large-scale industries. Or machines for sealing joints, for example, from the company STM Canna. Popular among coffee shops in the Netherlands, a booth employee explains.
Employees can put pre-made, rolled papers into the machine, fill them with grass, and then have them sealed automatically.
Advantage: You don't have to roll the papers yourself and spit on the papers to seal them. The robot can produce up to 40,000 joints a day. If that's not enough, you'll probably have to do the old-school manual work.
You can practice this at the joint-rolling contest. The record was 40 seconds on Friday afternoon. One gram of CBD, a hand-rolled paper filter – that's all it takes for the perfect joint.
They're looking for Berlin's fastest fingers. In the end, only one thing matters: "It has to be smokable," says founder Mario – and also gives the simple reason why only CBD is used here: "Grass is too expensive."
In addition to the colorful characters, the white sneaker faction also makes an appearance: They invite people to panels and conferences. These will focus on the market—how it has changed since partial legalization in Germany and what's happening in Europe.
Topics include legalization, company formation, medical cannabis, grower associations, and home cultivation. On Friday evening, startups will present their ideas in short pitches. The jury includes Finn Hänsel (Sanity Group) and Ben Patock (Boveda).
Mary Jane isn't just about browsing, getting information, and networking. Mary Jane is, above all, a trade fair. And a trade fair is all about marketing. It's best to bring a tote bag.
Companies want to attract visitors to their booths. Some offer small gifts such as paper bags and activated carbon filters with their logos. Others rely on postcards such as "Greetings from Tütlingen" or "The Federal Hemp City."
Others don't give away the goodies for free. Here, you'll need to make a commitment: spin the wheel of fortune, shoot hoops, stop the stopwatch at exactly 4:20 (the code number for smoking weed) – or simply follow the account on Instagram.
One thing's for sure: the stopwatch inspires ambition. And it's harder to hit the target than you think. We stopped twice at 4:21.
An announcement keeps playing: Smoking is strictly prohibited in the exhibition hall. This applies to everyone – unless you're a three-time heavyweight boxer. By the time Mike Tyson shows up at his booth, even the last person is snapped out of their own fog.
The retired boxer had long since announced his visit and is increasingly investing in the German cannabis market.
Two hardcore fans with his face tattoos stand in front of us. We'd rather not test whether they're real, as our fingers remain dry. Over 200 people are crowded around Tyson. He sits in the middle of them – blissfully puffing on an XXL joint.
What's forbidden indoors—except for Tyson—is allowed outdoors. This is where the buffet is. Between the burritos, burgers, crepes, and currywurst, there's always a hint of broccoli in the air. Or, to put it more bluntly: it regularly smells of grass.
The Mary Jane feels like a class reunion for the industry—for exhibitors and entrepreneurs as well as for veterans of the scene. For visitors, it's primarily a playground full of goodies, fragrances, and conversations with like-minded people.
We too leave the fair grounds after two days – slightly dazed by the aroma of the flowers, but above all with the feeling that cannabis has finally arrived in mainstream society. No longer just shaggy, but quite diverse.
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