Worst Woman Alive?

Well, no.  That award goes to Ghislaine Maxwell.  But this broad comes in a very close second. "Lady" Victoria Hervey, who claimed that Virginia Giuffre's death was "God's judgment" and "karma" for her allegedly lying on Prince Andrew's nasty ass, is unrepentant in her harassment of Epstein's victims.  Her Instagram page is littered with vids of her claiming the photo of Giuffre with Prince Pervert is fake & other eye-poppingly horrific shit.  
 

(All photos below taken from her IG page)

Pure evil.

Imagine quoting a convicted sex offender/human trafficker & thinking it's a win.

But she doesn't stop there, she also posts photos of herself with Diddy and his deceased ex-wife Kim Porter, claiming there's a "witch hunt" in Hip Hop!  (Accused rapist Russell Simmons is shown in one pic for good measure).  She then goes on to disparage Cassie, Diddy's ex who was brutally beaten on tape by the disgraced mogul.

Disrespecting victim Cassie, who was brutally beaten on tape.

Was this a freak-off, or... ?

President material for sure.

This "lady" gets around.  Posing w/ another accused rapist.

A whole-ass video "debunking" the Prince Andrew/Virginia Guiffre photo.

Tagged 2 of Epstein's victims.  🤬

For anyone who doubted that enablers like this still exist, or who thought that #MeToo magically rid society of those who PROUDLY glorify and defend traffickers & sex offenders, have a look at her Instagram page before she makes it private.  You'll soon change your tune.  Also, this proves that wealth and power truly do corrupt, and that people in high places will do anything to cover each other's asses no matter how evil their acts.  (If any Trump supporters are lurking on my page, please don't hesitate to question him about his connections with this pedo-enabling skank too).  This scumbucket is an aristocrat, ffs.  A model and socialite who lives the high life while shitting on sexual abuse survivors and promoting the likes of Epstein, Maxwell & Prince Pervert Andrew.  Off with her head. 

This slag doesn't even deserve the label "woman," as she clearly is willing to send female victims of physical and sexual abuse right down the river.  She's a male-identified enabler-for-hire who should have her own harddrives checked because no normal person is this vocal in their support of convicted sex offenders and human traffickers. 

Fuck you, Victoria Hervey.  (Or should I say, Victoria Pervey).  You're right that karma is a bitch and I can't wait to see all the "fun" things waiting in your future since you so boldly & stupidly made this cruel post dancing on a sex trafficking victim's grave.  May your fall from grace be even half as painful & tortuous as the abuse Epstein/Maxwell's victims experienced.

Women & Martyr Syndrome: An Unholy Union (Pt. 1)

Women as a class seem to have the mistaken belief that, by putting others first all the time and going "above & beyond," they'll be recognized or rewarded for their sacrifices at some point in some way.  They're often genuinely confused when the opposite happens & they're taken for granted, used, abused & discarded by those they treated like royalty.  "Why don't my husband/kids appreciate my sacrifices?  Why am I given the duties of 5 people for no additional pay at my job?" they ask as they continue repeating the same mistakes over & over.

Unpleasant as it sounds, I've found this to be true in life:  "Act like the help & you'll be treated like the help."  By your partner, kids, boss, coworkers, friends, subordinates & everybody tf else. 

While it seems counterintuitive, respect is not earned by how much you do for someone--rather, it's determined by what you're NOT willing to do.  Respect is commanded by treating yourself the way you want others to treat you.  YOU set the standard through your actions--what you tolerate vs. what you refuse to put up with.  While doing your best in your daily endeavors is important, it's equally important not to go "above & beyond" lest people see you as weak & easy to exploit.  Once you've set the bar too high it's often impossible to go back--they'll expect you to maintain the same unrealistic level of self-sacrifice, failing to thank you when you do & punishing you when you don't.  I've seen this play out too many times to go into & it never ends well.  I'm talking lost jobs & lawsuits levels of "never ends well".

Is this kind or fair?  Absolutely not.  But it's how humans operate.  While it's ugly when it happens in the workplace or friendships, I think the most tragic is when moms dedicate their lives to doing too much for their spouse & kids only to get treated like shit in return.  Spoiling your kids by doing too much for them is how you create entitled, dependent adults with unrealistic expectations.  The ultimate reward is resentment when the kid grows up & sees just how badly you failed to prepare them for the real world.  I've also seen that play out up close and again, it ain't pretty.

Your kids are not wrong in feeling that way. 

Your job as parent isn't to indulge them but to prepare them for adulthood and all its challenges.  You also set the example for what to expect from others in their life:  "Why don't my girlfriends fall all over themselves to do what mom did for me?  Why don't my professors/bosses find my antics as endearing as mom does?"  These are some questions they may ask if you set them up with unrealistic expectations by failing to hold them accountable & not commanding respect early & often.  Strive to react to your kids like they'll be reacted to in real life, not like a doting mom who finds their every yawn & fart adorable.  I assure you, their teachers, coaches, professors & bosses will not find their negative qualities nearly as precious as you do.

Also:  What you tolerate from your romantic partners matters immensely.  Anyone who expects another person to do their own basic, demeaning self-care tasks that they're perfectly capable of doing is throwing red flags all over the place; you ignore them at your own peril.  A man doesn't respect a woman who washes his dirty drawers or cleans up his lazy piss stains around the toilet over and over like a housekeeper, staying in the relationship when he's cheated despite threatening to leave.  Would YOU respect a person like that?  Of course not.  You'd wonder why they don't require the bare minimum from those in their life & probably try to see what you could get from them eventually, even if it's just a one-sided friendship where you dump your problems on them and they listen intently.  

No one wants to admit that we're all guilty of this at times--treating people no better than they treat themselves--but most of us can think of a situation where we did it, behaving in a domineering, disrespectful or (mildly) exploitative manner toward someone who was a little too willing to go "above and beyond".  A pollyanna with no self-respect.  Because again, it's human nature--some just take it further than others.  Behave like a pushover or simp & that's how you'll be treated.   🤷🏼‍♀  



Obtaining the Respect You Deserve

Boundaries protect people on both sides of the fence.

Healthy boundaries are the best antidote to this form of chronic disrespect.  Even if you don't truly love and respect yourself, fake it 'til you make it.  Act "as if":  find someone with strong self-respect & model your behavior after theirs.  Practice saying 'no' to things that feel exploitative or don't compensate you fairly, either financially or otherwise.  Let go of the egotistical need (yes, I said egotistical) to do more than your peers, housemates or others to "prove your worth".  Your worth is inherent just because you exist, and you need not compete with others for your place at a job or in a household where you already have a place.  Anyone who makes you feel like you do is not worth having in your life.  But often we're the ones imposing these unfair/unequal standards on ourselves--women.  If that's the case, it's worth addressing in therapy to get to the root of why you feel the need to do more than your part.  That's neither normal nor healthy & is sure to lead to burnout & unnecessary heartache.

There's no glory in martyring yourself in these imaginary competitions.  It doesn't make you lazy or an underachiever to do only what's required of you--it demonstrates self-respect & healthy boundaries.  By all means, go in & give it your all every day, just be sure not to take on a percentage of someone else's "all".  When you do, you're depriving others of the opportunity to live up to their full potential & enabling bad behavior, whether intentionally or not.  If you aren't sure what's expected of you, ask.  "What EXACTLY is my job description?  What are you looking for in a romantic partner?" And so on.  If expectations aren't clear or don't match what you consider to be fair, keep looking until you find a better fit.  You're worth it.

If this seems mean or excessive, remember that women are paid less than men for the same work & are often exploited in the home, expected to handle the bulk of the child-rearing, housekeeping, event/holiday-planning & basic adulting tasks for their male partner (laundry, dishes, cooking, etc).  This is partly because of our own willingness to put up with this abusive treatment.  If women woke up one day & decided to stop tolerating this exploitation en masse, our oppressors would have no choice but to stop because dynamics require TWO people to exist.  Remove yourself and that leaves only one. 

Of course this isn't what Mr. Rogers taught us, but then we don't live in Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood either.   We live in a world run by psychopaths & narcissists so you must learn to think like one in order to protect yourself from them.  Unfortunately under capitalism, exploitation & cruelty are rewarded so a lot of  bootlicking wannabe rich folks imitate the behavior of Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Donald Trump, Diddy or other billionaires.  A lot of delusion going on but the point remains: you MUST look out for #1 because nobody else is going to. 

...to be continued.

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We Fund Their Genocide; They Spit on Us

 

So this is a thing that's been happening in "the Holy Land" of late.  While the dude quoted above is an extremist dillweed, the "custom" he's referring to is quite real for some Haredi men during Sukkot.  Yes, it's a minority & no, it in no way reflects the customs or feelings of all Jews or Israelis, but it bears sharing because Western media is on a virtual blackout about this kind of thing when promoting their 24/7 support-Israel/obliterate Palestine tour.  Two minutes after seeing it, this popped up in my feed:

卐     AWKWARD.  😬  卐  

First of all:  The Trumps don't look all that stoked to be honorary members of the "chosen people," being that they're Nazis and whatnot.  Check out their uncomfortable mugs ffs.  Secondly, imagine going this hard in the paint for a country where it's literally a tradition to SPIT on people for merely having a different faith.  I'll refer you to my previous article about Israel's war crimes driving antisemitism worldwide but let's just say things like this don't help.  And then when their leaders do speak out about it, what's foremost on their minds?  

 "Acceptable" & "horrible" are antonyms, bud.  Gonna have to pick one.

Tourism.  Fucking tourism.  Money.  Protecting an "image."  Not the denigration & violation of a people existing peacefully & minding their business, no.  The concern that it might take a few bucks out of the country's pockets overshadows that.  Methinks their real concern lies with who is funding their little genocide:  so-called Christian nations like the U.S. and UK.  Can't have incidents like this drawing too much backlash lest the tide turn against their slaughter of Palestinians & we tighten the purse strings.  They've got a sweet deal now as it is with our nation of brainwashed Evangelicals gobbling up their pastor's ramblings every Sunday about some mythical Christian-Jewish alliance.  "Israel is for the Jews and the Jews are for Israel because the Bible says so."  Well here's what these folks think of your Bible, patriots.  {Spitting noises} 

This, as the U.S. is literally deporting law-abiding immigrants for peacefully protesting Israel's actions and our government monitors their social media (and everyone's, I'm sure) for "antisemitic" views... whatever tf that entails.  Because apparently we learned nothing from our 20+ years in Afghanistan after which the Taliban took back over the second we left, reverting it right back into the cesspit it was when we arrived.  The U.S. just has to keep poking its nose in Middle Eastern affairs despite the open contempt shown for us by everyone from our enemies to our so-called allies.  And we really, REALLY can't afford it as evidenced by our homeless addict problem and people with college degrees living in their cars.

Again I reiterate that the vile acts of this minority of extremists do not reflect the majority of Jews, be they conservative or liberal, Zionist or not.  (Boy I bet you normal sane Jews are getting sick of apologizing for your extremist, evil countrymen lately, eh?  Relatable as a white American from the South who is sick to death of just about everything to do with this country, from our rotten 2-party system to our violent, warlike nature to our glorification of greed & stupidity.  Maybe it's time to retire tribalism and evolve already?)  

Spinnin' in his grave.  🪦

[Review] - Cannabis Flower: Cream Caramel

Vendor:  Star Stvff
Location:  Tyler, TX
Items:  Itravil, kratom, cannabis, misc. Rx meds.
Rating:  4.8 of 5 stars
Website:  shternshtopn.blogspot.com

 

Cream Caramel

This strain has been on my Top 10 Most Wanted List for a long time based on the Leafly description.  (Yeah, I sometimes sit around reading strain descriptions... what of it?)  It's a cross between Maple Leaf Indica, the famous White Rhino & BlueBlack--three powerhouse indicas, resulting in a strain that's 90% indica itself--I tend to prefer the more opium-like effects of pure indicas to the heart-pounding effects of sativas, though I do like to switch it up occasionally. 

I grabbed this one from Star Stvff's site along with the hemp tea I reviewed here as a little 4/20 treat to myself.  Even though the price is relatively steep for the buds at $20/1 gram, it's worth it for the peace of mind in knowing it'll be delivered to my mailbox without any hassle.  (I no longer have my mmj card so options are limited on where I can buy, and I'm not a fan of IRL drug dealers in general). 

The pack was shipped within about 4 hours of completing payment via Paypal; I received email confirmation with a photo of my order stamped & ready to ship as is customary with this vendor.  It arrived in 5 business days in a totally smell-free package.  Double bagged Mylar and incredibly stealthy--I'm convinced a drug dog couldn't detect this.  The photo is of just a portion of the gram, but it gives an idea of the quality hopefully. 

These are some dank buds that break up easily but aren't dusty inside... just the right consistency.  The smell is strong & skunky with a hint of citrus.  I'm not great at describing flavors but I'd put it somewhere between "cookie dough" and "herbal".  Mega bag appeal with the multi-colored hues and thick trichome crusting.  All this vendor's weed comes from med dispensaries and it shows.

A brilliant range of hues...  from bright orange to blue-black.  🧡🖤

I roll a thin marshmallow flavored joint & light up on a rainy Sunday afternoon while watching Sister Wives (don't judge).  I've had cramps all day which means I've gotten nothing done as merely standing/walking makes the pain worse.  I finish half the joint before snuffing it out to assess the effects & automatically notice a huge reduction in my menstrual cramps which is nice.  Quite nice.  Beyond the typical indica stone & lack of pain, there's not a lot to write home about. 

I guess I'd describe the Cream Caramel stone as a void, or just nothingness.  It takes away instead of adding on.  My mind feels somewhat dulled and totally silent.  I'm definitely high, but without any additional euphoria, giddiness or physical bells & whistles.  Just muscle relaxation & deep silence inside my gourd.  I'm not sure "high" is the right word for this ooey-gooey-melty-fuzzy feeling, actually?  Foggy, heavy, stony, zen.  Those words seem to fit better.  🌫🪨☯

I finish the joint about an hour later & get a brief boost in effects before passing out cold for 2 hours around 6 p.m. on my couch, waking up disoriented in the dark but refreshed.  It was an impressively restful sleep, though I'm not sure whether it was the ganja or my period that knocked me out, as indicas don't generally have that effect (I'm a backwards weirdo).  Still, there's no denying the Cream Caramel put my brain on silent mode & made it easier for my tense, aching body to reach Dreamland than it ever would've sober.  🌌 💤

Like kratom, different strains of pot hit people differently.  Cream Caramel works a treat for pain and makes a great insomnia ally, but for my money I prefer something with a bit more mood lift and silliness a la Golden Goat or Chernobyl.  This stuff hits like a 10-lb hammer & the description is absolutely on point.  It would be ideal for making hash or other extracts because the effect is pure indica, it's just not necessarily what I look for in a marijuana strain. 

However the QUALITY is clearly there, so I'm gonna rate this order a 4.8 of 5 stars for price, ease of payment, shipping time & stealth.  I'll probably mix it in with some of the speedier stuff I have & see if the synergistic effects are more up my alley (or just save it for the next time I'm in pain).  Star Stvff is a reliable, friendly US-based vendor with a nice selection of ganja and kratom as well as other goodies, so give 'em a try if you're in the market for any of the stuff (stvff?) they sell.  

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[Review] - Organic Hemp Tea: Suzy Q & Felina 32

Vendor:  Star Stvff
Location:  Tyler, TX
Items:  Itravil, kratom, cannabis, misc. Rx meds.
Rating:  4.9 of 5 stars
Website:  shternshtopn.blogspot.com

Inner packaging (1 of 2 bags)

2 of these and 0 smell.  Super stealthy!

I bought 6 grams of dried hemp tea from Star Stvff, a vendor I've known and used many times before.  Their hemp tea is organic and homegrown and, as the photos above show, the quality is much higher than that of branded stuff like Dutch Harvest & Tiger Tea. 

The strains included are Suzy Q and Felina 32, both of which contain < 0.3% THC and varying amounts of CBD.  It's all there on their website.  I paid using Paypal and received my order in 5 business days, which wasn't bad considering the holiday (Easter).  Packaging was extremely stealthy--no smell even once the outer pack was opened.  They kindly included a free pre-roll of hemp flower (Lifter strain) with my order.  Very cool.   😎

There's enough material here for several cups of tea, but I'm choosing to set aside a couple buds to smoke to test the quality.  I make my 1st cup the usual way with just hot water--no decarboxylation.  It tastes about as hempy as expected and has a mellow effect but nothing too noteworthy.  I added a twist of lemon and honey for taste but yeah... the chlorophyll still won.  A bit woodsy & spicy but again:  the taste of "green" overpowers the senses.

Dumped out in a bowl.  Look at them trichs!

Another angle.  💚

After popping a couple of the bigger buds in the ol' one-hitter, I realized I was going about this all wrong.  This stuff is somehow more psychoactive than the "pretty" CBD flower sold online... like closer to actual pot which is weird for Felina 32.  After testing more in the pipe to make sure I'm not imagining things, I decide to decarb the rest in the oven to make proper THC tea because there's def more to this hemp tea than meets the eye.  So I popped the remaining tea in the oven for 30 minutes at 220 F degrees to activate it and used this recipe to prepare a cup. (Holy crapoli, my apartment now reeks of pot!  If the landlady comes up here I'm cooked).  Yeah, be warned:  your space WILL stank if you go this route.   👃🏻♨

I add a splash of full-fat milk & a little pat of butter to the boiling water to extract the goodies, let it steep for about 7 minutes while stirring & strain.  Now for flavoring I add a whole bag of peppermint tea & the juice of half a lemon, which worked better than just a spritz of lemon with honey to cover the "green" taste.  After finishing half a cup of this activated hemp tea I feel numb & nicely buzzed, as if I'd eaten about 5 mg THC and a whoooole bunch of CBD.  I'm honestly more impressed with this than the actual pot I purchased from the same vendor.  This homegrown hemp is also stronger than the pre-roll they threw in for free.  I'm legit surprised.

Freebie!  Lifter strain hemp pre-roll.

I'm giving the hemp tea from Star Stvff a 4.9 of 5 stars for potency, price & shipping stealth/speed.  I had very low expectations as most hemp products have no "oomph" but this is super high quality.  It's a bit harsh when smoked but makes a bomb-ass tea when decarboxylated first.  The tea is about 80% buds with the rest being seeds, stems & leaf material.  And it's organically grown which is hard to find.  6 grams doesn't sound like much but I got 1 small regular cup + 2 big decarbed cups and a (smoked) bowl out of it, with a few flakes leftover to sprinkle on food.  I can't recommend it highly enough.  I'm sure it would do well in a dry herb vape, AND the seeds look plantable if that's your thing.  $25 for the whole shebang, shipping included. 

This was a nice lil' 4/20 suprise after what's been a shitty year thus far.  Cannabis flower review coming soon!

Happy 4/20! All About: Landraces...and More 🌿

This started as a simple landrace article and spiraled into... well, you'll see.  

While the graphic above is of dubious scientific quality, the overarching message is clear:  Cannabis has been with the human race since antiquity & has evolved alongside us & often with our help--for better or worse.   

In honor of this classic stoner holiday, here's a list (or two) of exotic and mostly extinct landrace marijuana strains to drool over.  While the stuff today is most certainly stronger in terms of sheer THC content, there's something special about these '60s & '70s throwbacks, which were 100% pure Sativa or Indica (ehh, more on that below) & were native to their various continents.  Yields, pest resistance & time to flowering were widely variable, which is largely why the hybrids were created:  For the grower's benefit.  Said pioneer growers should've done more to preserve the OGs in my not-so-humble opinion...  especially when half the bag was seeds in the days before sinsemilla!  (Sin = "without"; semillia = "seed").

Savory Sativas  ❤

Iconic Indicas  💜

Sativa landraces grow naturally in equatorial regions like Africa, India, Asian countries like Thailand & Vietnam, Latin American countries like Colombia & Mexico & island regions like Jamaica/Hawaii.  Meanwhile, Indicas are native to the Middle/Near East & grow well in the low-lying valleys of the Hindu Kush region, Morocco, Turkey,  Lebanon, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan & Egypt.  They were traditionally used to make hashish due to their opium-like effects & copious resin production.  The vast majority of today's commercial bud is Hybrid, containing varying percentages of both Indica & Sativa genes.  With the advent of autoflowering plants, Ruderalis genes have now been introduced into the commercial ganja supply as well.  Again, for better or for worse.  You be the judge.

"Woodstock Weed" = Weaksauce.  Sorry, aging hippies who claim old weed was better.

Modern vs. Old School:  Which Was Better?

Pick Your Fighter:  The Brick vs. the Bud

While advances in growing techniques & technology improved THC content for stoners, most of this hybridization was done for the grower's benefit: to produce faster flowering, more pest-resistance & bigger yields.  One could liken modern indoor sinsemilla weed to a "GMO" as it's been altered so much from the sparse, lanky outdoor landrace stuff of yesteryear.  But that's not necessarily bad.  In the '60s & '70s, American weed came almost entirely from other countries & was dried/cured using traditional methods, such as burying it underground to induce "fermentation" or alter the color (see:  Santa Marta Gold).  That's IF it was cured at all.  It was almost always compressed into bricks for transport, full of seeds & much lower in THC than today's weed.  While quality stuff did exist back then, the typical "mids" were closer to the strength of today's hemp flower, containing between 1-3% THC. 

While plenty of older 'heads from the Cheech & Chong days swear the old stuff was better, it's likely a result of rose-colored glasses & good ol' tolerance.  Nothing will ever compare to your first high, even if it was low-level homegrown & you're now smokin' top-shelf Indo.  Also, questions about how cannabis affects the teenage brain could account for why some of us treated pot like crack and overdid it only to have it "turn on us" later.  (And most of us did start in our teens, unfortunately).  It's believed to have a massively different impact on the developing brain than the adult brain, which uhh, explains some things.

I was smoking Mexican brick well into the 2000s and lemme tell ya:  it was NOT better than modern weed.  It produced a headache & not much else & was frequently wet/moldy.  Some of it contained hair & other nasties.  But that likely had as much to do with growing/drying/transport methods as genetics.  Then again, today's greedy growers often use plant growth regulators & other poisons that make the finished product a total question mark in terms of short- and long-term safety risks, so every era has its issues.  (See:  the Paraquat Pot of the Reaganite '80s).

Fake buds from the prohibition days {vomits softly}

Today's Bud:  All That Glitters... ✨

Dank or stank?  Buds should look like flowers, not doo-doo balls.

The biggest concern with today's weed (yes, even the stuff sold in medical dispensaries) is what might be used to grow it.  Or stop its growth, as is the case with PGR's.  Paclobutrazol, daminozide & a familiar-sounding one--chlormequat chloride--are a few of the PGRs (Plant Growth Regulators) you may encounter in the commercial/legal bud industry today.  These hormones are added purely for profit motive to increase yields while preventing plants from growing too tall in hydro & other indoor setups.  While there are no hard-and-fast methods for spotting PGR bud, I find that it kinda resembles those mystery buds sold legally in High Times & Cannabis Culture Magazine back in the pre-legalization days:  more orange than green, too many pistils, solid & compact... a little too compact.  It  almost looks like a mini brick in each bud.  No space between the folds of the leaves.  

Cannabis shouldn't be the shape/consistency of dung beetle balls.  

PGRs are used to increase both yields and nicotine production in the tobacco plant, which is inherently carcinogenic (Group 1 Carcinogen) due to its radioactivity & the presence of poisons like benzene & formaldehyde.  But the use of high-phosphate fertilizers is also thought to make the plant more cancerous by increasing the dosage of alpha radiation in the end product.  Any thinking person has to wonder:   are equally toxic ferts & "-cides" (pesti, fungi, herbi) being added to today's pot?  Then there's the whole "spray-on terpene" thing which... guys, look.  I get that this is a for-profit venture, but shit's getting ridiculous.  In the quest for maximum terps & bag appeal, we're making one of the safest and most versatile medicines in human history potentially UN-safe.   This defeats the purpose for all but the most shamelessly addicted users who don't GAF if their lungs turn to stone & their brains dry-rot right along with their little parched, cotton-y mouths.   🌵👄

Furthermore, ingredients that are safe to eat (i.e. Vitamin E acetate) can be deadly when inhaled, so assuming that food-grade terps are safe to smoke/vape is simply not an accurate assumption.  Nobody who actually uses weed for medical or mental health reasons wants this mutant junk in their bowl--any of it.  Worse, you're flirting with getting regulators involved, and they are overwhelmingly politicians rather than scientists or farmers.  If the past 80+ years of probition taught us anything, it's that these types should stick to what they know (i.e. sniffing children's hair & kickin' it on Epstein Island) & stay far away from weed & all other drugs, right?  Right?!  Bueller? 

See the diff?

(I fuckin' digress.  This is 4/20, dammit!  We're gonna celebrate the evolution of cannabis if it kills us!  And at this rate it might!) 

My local dispensaries frequently sell weed they claim is a landrace strain, but how would customers know the difference?  This state's medical mj regulations are far too lax so there's no telling what you're getting.  Rumor has it that growers here just slap a popular name on each pound based on what's likely to sell.  I find that unconscionable, personally.  And as stated, that's the least of my worries with this plant. 

That said, I've bought a couple of the alleged landrace Sativas & they DID blow my head off in the stimulation department.  Chocolate Thai was my fave.  Not a true landrace but def hard to find these days.  I'd go back & buy that in bulk in a heartbeat... whatever it was.  As for my all-time favorite strains, that honor goes to Golden Goat, Zkittlez, original NYC Diesel & Chernobyl--all hybrids.  (Womp, womp).



Enter: Afghanica?

The stoner community has questions.

As a final note, some cannabis experts including the legendary George Cervantes, believe there's actually FOUR main types of cannabis:  Sativa, Indica, Ruderalis & Afghanica.  In this interesting paradigm, the plants we call "Indicas" w/ the short stature, broad leaves & relaxing effects are actually properly called Afghanicas due to their native region of Afghanistan while "Sativa" referred to the narrow-leaved hemp/ditch weed that produces seed & fiber but not THC.  Meanwhile, "Indica" encompasses ALL psychoactive subspecies of cannabis including what we now refer to as "Sativa":  the Eurasian/equatorial plants with the soaring head high & creative, psychedelice effects.  (And what was Ruderalis under this system, chopped liver?)   

Thankfully a real taxonomist came along circa the early 2000's and put this all to rest with genetic testing.  It is as follows:

Sativa > "C. sativa ssp. sativa" aka "Narrow-Leaf Hemp"
Indica > 4 subspecies; 2 psychoactive (see below)*

Ruderalis > "C. sativa ssp. spontanea"; likely feral ancestor to both other types.

*Indica SUBSPECIES

C. indica ssp. indica: High THC, low CBD narrow-leafed plants today known as "Sativas".  Effects are stimulating & psychedelic & include strains like the Haze family, Durban Poison, Acapulco Gold, Jack Herer, Maui Wowie & Jamaican Lamb's Bread. 

C. indica ssp. afghanica:  High-CBD psychoactive plant native to Afghanistan/Pakistan w/ short stature & broad leaves.  Today known as "Indicas".  Effects are mellow & analgesic.  Includes strains like the Kush family, Romulan, Blueberry, Northern Lights & most purple-colored strains

C. indica ssp. chinensis:  East Asian hemp plants with broad leaves (BLH).  Potential for psychoactivity but cultivated for fiber & seed only.

C. indica ssp. kafiristanica:  Feral ancestor to Narrow-Leaf Drug (NLD) hemp that grew wild in Afghanistan & Pakistan.


TL;DR - All the psychoactive weed we smoke today is accurately termed Indica, which has 4 subspecies.  True "Sativa" is a (non-psychoactive) Narrow-Leaf Hemp grown for fiber & seed, while "Ruderalis" is likely some feral ancestor of BOTH species that originated in Siberia/Russia, though it's now extinct(!!!)  Only 2 of the Indica subspecies--spp. Indica & spp. Afghanica--are psychoactive: these are the ones we wrongly call "Sativa" and "Indica" today.  The other two aren't meaningfully psychoactive.  

Modern "Sativa" is actually Indica, and
today's "Indica" is really Afghanica.  

What does this change for the average stoner?  Absolutely nada.  The terms Sativa & Indica are so ingrained in the culture that budtenders, websites like Leafly and others aren't likely to adopt the "true" names, leaving that up to taxonomists & geneticists.  We know "Sativa" refers to the narrow-leaved plants that grow tall & produce cerebral effects, while "Indicas" are short, stout & full of relaxing CBD/N/G, making them great for pain, insomnia & as a precursor to hashish. 

I for one never knew there were this many offshoots and variants of the cannabis plant!  My dad talked about "ditch weed" that grew everywhere in the old days, claiming it was a whole different plant than the stuff that gets you high.  He was largely right--I was under the impression that growing techniques were the ONLY thing separating "hemp" and "cannabis", with all plants of this species having the capacity to produce high THC levels if grown right. And who knew there was a shorter, broad-leafed hemp variant (C. indica spp. chinensis) in Asia? 

 Furthermore I just learned there was no debate about the taxonomy of cannabis until the '70s when it arose as a legal defense for a person charged with possession of "Cannabis Sativa" but his lawyer argued it was "C. Indica."  Clever.  Another interesting factoid is that THC vs. CBD-rich plants tend to be predictably dark (THC) or light green (CBD) according to this in-depth study with 'hybrids' falling in the middle of the dark/light green spectrum.  This certainly helps make things less confusing when it comes to telling these babies apart, and we need all the help we can get apparently. Sheesh.  I feel a Pt. 2 in my future.

I tried my best to color-code this for y'all.  Happy 4/20!

  😶‍🌫  Which of the 2 OG's below are you puttin in your dream pipe: the tall doll from Nepal, or the (nothing rhymes with    "Sheberghan")?

Towering "Sativa" landrace from Nepal.  ❤

Sheberghan, an "Indica" landrace from North Afghanistan   💜