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Legendary Cannabis Strains and Their Origins – Do Landrace Strains Rule the Roost?
What are the legendary cannabis strains from around the world?
Cannabis has been around for thousands of years, used by civilizations around the world since ancient times.
Different varieties of the plant grew naturally in many regions around the world, such as Thailand, China, the Himalayas, India, Jamaica, North America, and many others. But it wasn’t until around 4,000 years ago that experts estimate was the time when farmers started to breed marijuana for specific properties, including medical use or fiber. Certain environmental conditions and natural pollination in specific locations then produced what we know today to be heirloom or landrace varieties, which are recognized as the godparents of most cannabis strains we know today.
In fact, landrace strains are recognized as the foundation of hundreds (maybe thousands!) of the modern cannabis strains we know today. While there are countless cannabis strains continually being bred and genetically engineered to produce therapeutic or recreational benefits, there will always be the legendary cannabis strains that have been iconic through the decades. Despite the growing popularity of many new ones, we always go back to these famous strains who have had such a great impact on the cannabis industry and consumers alike:
Read up about them and their origin stories here:
- Blue Dream: This delicious sativa-dominant hybrid has its roots in California, the marijuana capital of the world. It is said to have been born sometime in the early 2000s, though its popularity quickly spread widely to Canada and other states. Unfortunately, no one really knows who is responsible for creating Blue Dream, despite being a staple strain for many of the biggest dispensaries around the country.
Blue Dream is the result of crossing Super Silver Haze and Blueberry. Recreational and medical consumers enjoy the ideal balance of sativa and indica effects in Blue Dream, providing a gentle psychoactive high that can suit a wide range of needs. Most strains are high in THC, ranging from 20-25%, so it won’t take much for you to experience happy and uplifting feelings after smoking.
- Bubba Kush: The origins of Bubba Kush can be traced back to the early 1990s. For many years, it remained a mystery who created this well-loved strain until Matt Berger stepped up. Known to many by his nickname Bubba, Berger has been growing cannabis for decades beginning in 1993 when a friend gifted him with Northern Lights seeds.
Berger planted the seeds upon his return home in Gainesville, which resulted in the growth of a short, stumpy plant which he grew. He named it Bubba, as a tribute to his friends; not long after, the plant was cloned several times. In 1997, he and a friend, Josh D, gave some of the herb to members of Cypress Hill, and this marked the official birth of Bubba Kush.
Today, Bubba Kush remains one of the most popular cannabis strains. It has equally legendary parents, given that it’s the child of Northern Lights. Bubba Kush is loved for its potent effects, though each batch is different. However, it’s regarded as a mid-potency strain with THC levels that vary from 15-21%. Even if it typically isn’t as strong as other modern strains, it has a long-lasting and deep-setting hit that causes tremendous euphoria while relaxing every muscle.
- Northern Lights: Few other cannabis strains are as quintessential as the Northern Lights, an indica-dominant hybrid that was developed back in the 1970’s. True to its celestial name, this strain is recognized as a tried-and-tested variety perfect for getting a good night’s rest and battling insomnia. In fact, this indica dominant strain is almost always found on any list discussing the world’s best Indica strains – so if you need any help with sleep or relaxation, this is one of the best you can smoke. Northern Lights has won numerous awards in the past, too!
According to sources, Northern Lights was bred by someone called “The Indian”, though his actual name and whereabouts remain unknown. It’s said that he developed this strain while somewhere near Seattle. The Indian allegedly only grew 11 cannabis plants, many of which were Afghani landraces.
However, others say that its origins are in California. Regardless, Northern Lights eventually found its way to Nevil Schoenmakers of The Netherlands, who many regard as the King of Marijuana. Nevil helped introduce Northern Lights to Holland, which is one of the reasons why its benefits spread like wildfire so quickly.
- Afghani: Meet one of the oldest known cannabis strains, Afghani. Its story can be traced all the way back to the Hindu Kush range, located in Afghanistan – hence its name. This is a legendary landrace strain that has parented numerous best-selling strains in North America. While it grew naturally in the Hindu Kush mountain range, its genetics have continued to evolve and change through the decades.
Afghani is a deep, heavy, pure indica strain. This is definitely something that you are going to want to smoke at night because of its immense relaxation and sleep-inducing properties. If you want to try smoking the authentic Afghani strain, ask your dispensary about the Pure Afghan.
- White Widow: The hybrid White Widow strain comes from Netherlands, where it was originally bred in 1994. Its potency, quality genetics, and delicious taste have spawned dozens of cannabis strains which are now sold by various seed banks all over the world.
However, there are two theories that claim the origins of White Widow. One of them is linked to Shantibaba, a marijuana breeder who once owned the Green House Seeds company. He supposedly worked with Nevil Shoenmaker. There are several other theories on the origins of this strain, but we are left to mysteries until today. Regardless, White Widow’s roots in the Netherlands did not last long as it’s now one of the most famous cannabis strains.
Conclusion
These are just some of several legacy strains that we know and love today. Despite the breeding and creation of many modern strains with fancy genetics, we pay homage to their lineage. If you have the chance, do try these cannabis strains. Which one is your favorite?
New Mexico regulators fined a cannabis operator nearly $300,000 and revoked its license after the company allegedly created fake reports in the state’s traceability software.
The New Mexico Cannabis Control Division (CCD) accused marijuana manufacturer and retailer Golden Roots of 11 violations, according to Albuquerque Business First.
Golden Roots operates the The Cannabis Revolution Dispensary.
The majority of the violations are related to the Albuquerque company’s improper use of BioTrack, which has been New Mexico’s track-and-trace vendor since 2015.
The CCD alleges Golden Roots reported marijuana production only two months after it had received its vertically integrated license, according to Albuquerque Business First.
Because cannabis takes longer than two months to be cultivated, the CCD was suspicious of the report.
After inspecting the company’s premises, the CCD alleged Golden Roots reported cultivation, transportation and sales in BioTrack but wasn’t able to provide officers who inspected the site evidence that the operator was cultivating cannabis.
In April, the CCD revoked Golden Roots’ license and issued a $10,000 fine, according to the news outlet.
The company requested a hearing, which the regulator scheduled for Sept. 1.
At the hearing, the CCD testified that the company’s dried-cannabis weights in BioTrack were suspicious because they didn’t seem to accurately reflect how much weight marijuana loses as it dries.
Company employees also poorly accounted for why they were making adjustments in the system of up to 24 pounds of cannabis, making comments such as “bad” or “mistake” in the software, Albuquerque Business First reported.
Golden Roots was fined $298,972.05 – the amount regulators allege the company made selling products that weren’t properly accounted for in BioTrack.
The CCD has been cracking down on cannabis operators accused of selling products procured from out-of-state or not grown legally:
- Regulators alleged in August that Albuquerque dispensary Sawmill Sweet Leaf sold out-of-state products and didn’t have a license for extraction.
- Paradise Exotics Distro lost its license in July after regulators alleged the company sold products made in California.
Golden Roots was the first alleged rulebreaker in New Mexico to be asked to pay a large fine.
Source: https://mjbizdaily.com/new-mexico-cannabis-operator-fined-loses-license-for-alleged-biotrack-fraud/
Four marijuana companies, including a multistate operator, have filed a lawsuit against U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland in which they allege the federal MJ prohibition under the Controlled Substances Act is no longer constitutional.
According to the complaint, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, retailer Canna Provisions, Treevit delivery service CEO Gyasi Sellers, cultivator Wiseacre Farm and MSO Verano Holdings Corp. are all harmed by “the federal government’s unconstitutional ban on cultivating, manufacturing, distributing, or possessing intrastate marijuana.”
Verano is headquartered in Chicago but has operations in Massachusetts; the other three operators are based in Massachusetts.
The lawsuit seeks a ruling that the “Controlled Substances Act is unconstitutional as applied to the intrastate cultivation, manufacture, possession, and distribution of marijuana pursuant to state law.”
The companies want the case to go before the U.S. Supreme Court.
They hired prominent law firm Boies Schiller Flexner to represent them.
The New York-based firm’s principal is David Boies, whose former clients include Microsoft, former presidential candidate Al Gore and Elizabeth Holmes’ disgraced startup Theranos.
Similar challenges to the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA) have failed.
One such challenge led to a landmark Supreme Court decision in 2005.
In Gonzalez vs. Raich, the highest court in the United States ruled in a 6-3 decision that the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution gave Congress the power to outlaw marijuana federally, even though state laws allow the cultivation and sale of cannabis.
In the 18 years since that ruling, 23 states and the District of Columbia have legalized adult-use marijuana and the federal government has allowed a multibillion-dollar cannabis industry to thrive.
Since both Congress and the U.S. Department of Justice, currently headed by Garland, have declined to intervene in state-licensed marijuana markets, the key facts that led to the Supreme Court’s 2005 ruling “no longer apply,” Boies said in a statement Thursday.
“The Supreme Court has since made clear that the federal government lacks the authority to regulate purely intrastate commerce,” Boies said.
“Moreover, the facts on which those precedents are based are no longer true.”
Verano President Darren Weiss said in a statement the company is “prepared to bring this case all the way to the Supreme Court in order to align federal law with how Congress has acted for years.”
While the Biden administration’s push to reschedule marijuana would help solve marijuana operators’ federal tax woes, neither rescheduling nor modest Congressional reforms such as the SAFER Banking Act “solve the fundamental issue,” Weiss added.
“The application of the CSA to lawful state-run cannabis business is an unconstitutional overreach on state sovereignty that has led to decades of harm, failed businesses, lost jobs, and unsafe working conditions.”
Alabama regulators are targeting Dec. 1 to award the first batch of medical cannabis business licenses after the agency’s first two attempts were scrapped because of scoring errors and litigation.
The first licenses will be awarded to individual cultivators, delivery providers, processors, dispensaries and state testing labs, according to the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC).
Then, on Dec. 12, the AMCC will award licenses for vertically integrated operations, a designation set primarily for multistate operators.
Licenses are expected to be handed out 28 days after they have been awarded, so MMJ production could begin in early January, according to the Alabama Daily News.
That means MMJ products could be available for patients around early March, an AMCC spokesperson told the media outlet.
Regulators initially awarded 21 business licenses in June, only to void them after applicants alleged inconsistencies with how the applications were scored.
Then, in August, the state awarded 24 different licenses – 19 went to June recipients – only to reverse themselves again and scratch those licenses after spurned applicants filed lawsuits.
A state judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by Chicago-based MSO Verano Holdings Corp., but another lawsuit is pending.
Source: https://mjbizdaily.com/alabama-plans-to-award-medical-cannabis-licenses-dec-1/
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