Ask a Stoner: Should Growers Retire Strains More Often?

Dear Stoner: Is growing the same strains for a while bad? I get that growers need to switch things up, but what if users depend on the effects?
Burnt End

Dear Burnt End: Sometimes a mother plant reaches a point of diminishing returns for cloning and a grower needs to scrap the line once the harvest quality drops. However, most of this hamster wheel is powered by the constant equation of how many in-house, legacy and “exotic” strains to sell. Sticking to Sour Diesel isn’t enough anymore, even if you’re growing the truest, stankiest cut in town. People want new and rare, and cannabis growers have to stay steps ahead when breeding or growing strains, which takes months. Cannabis growers are a creative bunch, too, and even Bruce Springsteen gets bored of playing the hits all the time.

These commercial trends aren’t specific to cannabis — eavesdrop on a few Starbucks orders or hang out at a craft beer bar if you don’t believe me — but they can affect people who depend on a specific strain for certain effects, whether medical or recreational. Most dispensaries try to work with patients and repeat customers on finding a strain with similar terpenes or effects if a favorite is retired, but it’s a downside of regular cannabis use, no doubt.

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