Cannabis Strains - Variety Ambiguity

Variety Ambiguity

A variety may refer ambiguously to different forms of cannabis:

• Clone-only variety – A cannabis grower may grow a cannabis seed into a plant and find that this plant is unique in some way. The grower may make genetically identical clones of the plant and distribute these. A clone is the only way to propagate the exact genetic makeup that makes a variety unique, however, growing conditions greatly affect the plant and the final consumable product.

• Stable seed variety – For a cannabis breeder wishing to develop a new variety, the process is complicated and time consuming. It involves selectively choosing male and female cannabis plants and breeding them over the course of multiple generations. The final generation's seeds will have been stabilized by the breeder on the specific attributes chosen, though some genetic variation still exists among the seeds.

• Unstable seed varieties – While these can be produced more quickly, plants grown from these seeds may have widely varying characteristics. Reputable seed shops will not distribute unstable seed varieties, though some amateur growers might. Third-party growers may produce unstable derivatives from well known varieties and misleadingly call them by their true variety name.

• Wild varieties (landraces) – Some varieties, such as Colombian and Thai refer to cannabis plants found growing wild in certain regions. Typically, these plants are used as bases for the production of more specialized varieties (e.g. G-13 or Haze).

Additionally, black market Cannabis dealers may distribute marijuana that is misleadingly called by a variety name. For example, Skunk and G13 may be used, but a lower grade may actually be sold.