The struggle for naming rights for cannabis strains

We are currently in the Wild West era of the semi-legal and fully legal marijuana market. And by the looks of it, the pinnacle of creativity, cleverness, and chaos in cannabis culture is most experienced in the terrain of strain names. However, as cannabis continues to grow in popularity, there is now a need to find a modern system for naming strains.

Surely we all have our favorite cannabis strains – the legendary Northern Lights, the classic Sour Diesel and the graceful White Widow. But the question remains how people come up with these names. To answer the question correctly, you have to go back to where it all began – the origin of strain names. With this we can see how the practice has evolved.

HISTORY OF STEM NAMING

Strain naming began in the 1960s as cannabis breeders roamed the world in search of high quality cannabis to meet the increasing demand. At that time, the varieties were mainly named after their country of origin. Early strains had names like Durban Poison, Columbia Gold, Panama Red, Afghan Kush, and so on.

Various strains of cannabis have been bred over time to improve yield, pest resistance, flavor and effects. Cannabis breeders then creatively named their offspring: some for their effects like Blue Mystic, Blue Dream and Painkiller XL. Some also for their flavors like Skunk, Blueberry, and Sour Diesel, and others have been named after cannabis icons, celebrities, and fictional characters like Bruce Banner and Jack Herer.

When new strains are bred, names are often coined to reflect the parent’s name. For example, White Berry is a descendant of White Widow and Blueberry. dr Who was coined as a descendant of Time Wreck and Mad Scientist and Purple Haze of Haze and Granddaddy Purple.

Dilemmas with the current naming system

As previously explained, breeders apply different rules when naming cannabis strains, but in truth the process is somewhat arbitrary. While it can be compelling when breeders come up with creative names like the ones above, the story changes when breeders choose names like Cat Piss, Abusive OG, and Purple Monkey Balls—all strain names.

Frankly, even when breeders choose quality names, the lack of standard guidelines can create confusion. This can be both intentional and harmless, like giving unrelated cannabis strains identical names. For example, many strains in the 1990s carried the name “Diesel”, giving the false impression that the strains were related to Sour Diesel, a very popular strain at the time.

Awfully, no rule prevents unethical breeders from naming another strain equal to a valuable or popular strain. Considering the rise in cannabis cultivation and breeding of new strains around the world, many proponents have proposed. That the community can unify the system of naming.

THE PATH TO STANDARDIZED GENETICS

Jorge Cervantes is a renowned and celebrated cannabis researcher and author. His debut book, titled Indoor Marijuana Horticulture, won the Gold Benjamin Franklin Award in 2015 and has since been translated into six different languages. He is a supporter of Phylis Bioscience, an Oregon-based company that he believes will lead the industry to the next paradigm of regularizing cannabis genetics.

Phylos Bioscience is dedicated to genetics certification for the marijuana supply chain. The company is developing a detailed, open-source map to establish genetic relationships between cannabis strains. The company also performs genetic testing of cannabis strains, allowing sellers, consumers, and breeders to determine which strain they have.

According to Cervantes, he is convinced of the work of Phylos Bioscience. The company collects as much as possible all available information from various sources, thereby helping everyone. Cervantes believes that everyone should participate in genome registration.

He will not say that identifying and sorting the cultivars is critical, otherwise there would be no consistency.

AN APPROACH TO STEM NAME STANDARDIZATION

Enabling accurate genetic mapping will prevent breeders from claiming that their strain is something it is not. It could also help establish a standardized naming system. As it stands, the galaxy map of Phylos points a way forward. Phylos suggests that common genetic markers of related cannabis strains should be used to name each strain.

But could this revolutionize the current naming system? Will breeders have their stem sequences before they can put “Jack”, “Diesel” or “Kush” in the name? If so, would copyright law kick in and play a bigger role in cannabis naming?

Copyright has already affected cannabis names like GSC, formerly known as Girl Scout Cookies. The breeders behind the strain were forced to change the name due to legal threats from the Girl Scouts of America. We can now imagine a situation where merchants can protect their names and then sell the rights to use those names. This is just a small nudge forward in terms of breeders copyrighting strain names.

The possibilities really are endless. Another scenario would be genetic labs naming cannabis strains themselves based on full standardized testing. Genetic Lans can then send notes back to breeders informing them of the strain they bred. For example “Congratulations! The stock sample indicates that you have cultivated Blue Kush 20-D”. Sure, this would take the fun out of naming cannabis, but it sure leads to proper consumer protection.

But that’s not all, because further questions remain unanswered: Which body would enforce this standardization? Would it be the government or the industry itself?

Conclusion

It is now clear that the cannabis industry needs to find a solution as soon as possible. Otherwise, the industry would face numerous lawsuits in situations where genetic testing is found to be incorrect. If that happens, the government could be forced to step in, and anyone familiar with lawmakers’ debates over cannabis knows the outcome may not be favorable. To do this, the cannabis industry must act now and find a clear standardized naming system.

HOW TO SHOP CANNABIS, READ THIS…

DON’T BUY WEED BASED ON THC LEVEL, BUY TERPENES!

OR..

WHAT DO CANNABIS STRAIN NAMES SAY ABOUT A SPECIFIC BUD?