OG Kush is the most popular cannabis strain among medical patients in Southern California. It is also considered by testing labs to be the most potent cannabis variety currently available on the U.S. West Coast, and novice patients should exercise caution when medicating with OG Kush. The strain is noted for its outstanding flavor when smoked or vaporized. OG Kush is the highest priced cannabis available in the U.S., with prices reaching a peak of $35 per gram in 2011. With such popularity, OG Kush is surrounded by more accreted myth than any other cannabis variety. Being able to recite OG Kush lineage is de rigeur for California cannabis cognoscenti—and everyone tells a different version of the tale. However, while it is claimed that there are many different “cuts” of OG Kush, very little is known about any true genetic differences between them. In California, OG Kush rules the medical cannabis scene. It’s easy to understand its popularity since the strain has it all: potency, good looks, and an incredible smell and flavor. Its unique scent is the key characteristic of properly dried and cured OG Kush. The aroma can be distinguished from other kush genetics, since OG exhibits none of the vanilla aroma of a Pure Kush or sandalwood incense notes of a Bubba Kush. TYPE: Hybrid. SPECIES: Cannabis indica ssp. kafiristanica/ssp. indica hybrid. Afghan, Nepali, and Thai landraces have likely contributed genetic characteristics to this quintessential hybrid. BREEDING DATE: Uncertain. Depending on which origin story is to be believed, OG Kush first appears in 1978 in Los Angeles, or 1985 in Colorado, or 1991 on the East Coast. GENETICS: The earliest OG Kush growers in Los Angeles claim that the strain originated from a cross of Northern Lights with Mexican commercial marijuana bagseed. Another popular origin legend has OG Kush descended from Chemdawg, a Montana/Colorado variety. The story goes that, in 1993, a cultivator in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains in northern California got the Chemdawg cut. One of the growers with whom he shared Chemdawg lived on the ocean in Sunset Beach, California. The Sunset Beach breeder crossed Chemdawg into his “secret ingredient” male: a Lemon Thai × Old World Paki Kush. The resulting cross became legendary in Los Angeles connoisseur circles in the mid-’90s. Someone told the breeder the reason his kush was so good had to be that it was “mountain grown.” The breeder famously replied, “Nah, bro, it’s ocean grown.” The Ocean Grown tag stuck and was soon shortened to OG Kush. According to some reports, the OG breeder moved to New Zealand in early 1996. Before leaving the U.S., however, he gave OG cuts to a number of friends. He also sold some seeds, one of which produced the noted San Fernando Valley cut which displays more sativa narrow-leafleted characteristics. Elsewhere, a cutting of the original OG Kush became the Larry OG cut that is popular in Orange County today. The following list describes a number of popular OG cuts that are currently available in the western U.S. Abusive OG This cut is noted for its potency and is more indica in effect than classic OG. Diablo OG Very fast onset effects and “face-numbing” analgesia characterize this cut, which is associated with the Reseda Discount Center dispensary in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles. HA OG Kush This cut supposedly originated in the Tahoe area and is associated with the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club. It was one of the earliest cuts to appear in Orange County south of Los Angeles and is produced by the same cultivators responsible for the Larry OG. It exhibits extraordinary trichome production, which extends from its flowers onto the edges of the surrounding water leaves. Skywalker OG This became very popular from 2008 to 2010. It is a distinctly sativa-dominant OG cut with an intense psychedelic psychoactivity. Purple OG Kush So-called for its distinctive purple stems, this OG Kush cut was popular in the Santa Barbara area. It is prized by connoisseurs as the greatest of all OG cuts. Soul Assassin OG A cut that has long been associated with the band Cypress Hill. It is prized for its flavor and the special headiness of its psychoactivity. Tahoe OG A cut sourced by the breeder known as Swerve of The Cali Connection seed company. Blood OG This is an outlier version of OG Kush that was supposedly bred in Florida. It is not implausible that crosses with Afghan, Nepali, and Thai genetics independent of Californian efforts, could have produced a variety that resembles classic OG Kush. SIMILAR VARIETIES: Pure Kush, Orange Master Kush, Kosher Kush (DNA Genetics). AVAILABILITY: OG Kush is typically only available in the form of cuttings, although DNA Genetics in the Netherlands and Cali Connection in the United States are beginning to offer seed versions. EASE OF CULTIVATION: Difficult. The plant tends to grow quickly and tall, has little pest resistance, and has a reputation as a picky feeder. AROMA: Intense, distinctive citrus and fuel aroma with clear naphtha, orange, balsamic, pine, and earth notes. OG Kush exhibits a wide variety of aromas depending on the cultivation method and curing technique. Poorly cured OG smells like roses and lawn clippings. It can take a month of careful humidity and temperature-controlled curing to bring out the best aroma from a crop of OG Kush. Its immense terpene entourage combines limonene, beta-caryophyllene, myrcene, linalool, and alpha-humulene. TASTE: When smoked, OG Kush offers a sweet, floral hashish exhalation with a tart citrusy undertone. When vaporized, it has an orange blossom floral taste and intense hash oil aftertaste. Exhalation of well-cultivated OG can produce a strong mentholated sensation. POTENCY: Well-cultivated OG Kush consistently tests at over 20 percent THC with less than 1 percent CBD, while outliers may achieve 25 percent THC. Caution when initially dosing with OG Kush is strongly advised. It can cause disorientation, anxiety, and postural hypotension in novice patients. DURATION OF EFFECTS: One to three hours when smoked. PSYCHOACTIVITY: When smoked, OG Kush’s massive THC content causes its initial onset to be accompanied by considerable dissociation, cerebral pressure, and inability to concentrate. OG Kush delivers a broad entourage of terpene effects from its high titers of limonene and myrcene. This spike subsides after 10 to 20 seconds, transitioning into a very intense psychoactivity. Patients generally report strong heady and stony sensations, with significant amounts of euphoria and mood elevation. Although generally stimulating, high-THC content often results in disorientation, “couchlock,” and lethargy. Finally, there is not much loss of peripheral vision perception. ANALGESIA: High analgesia offering both an excellent distraction and a numbing, soothing body effect. MUSCLE RELAXATION: Medium. DISSOCIATION: High. STIMULANT: Moderate, although the initial onset of a low dose of OG Kush can be quite stimulating. SEDATION: Low at onset, though as THC metabolites build up, OG Kush can be effective for insomnia. TRIVIA: While popular with patients, OG Kush has achieved mythic status amongst the hip-hop music community and has been praised by Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Cypress Hill, and Madlib, among others. A decade ago, OG Kush commanded up to $8,000 per pound (0.5 kilogram) on the illicit market. Even today, it is typically the highest priced indoor cultivated cannabis variety, although it may eventually cede this economic distinction to even more labor-intensive, tropical, narrow-leafleted varieties, which possess extremely long flowering times.
OG KUSH
Notes
< div class='tao-gold-member'>
