Quiz: Think You Know Your Strains? Then Tell Us, Is This Marijuana or Tomato?
This article was originally published by The Influence, a news site that covers the full spectrum of human relationships with drugs. Follow The Influence on Facebook or Twitter.
As marijuana transitions in the public eye from strictly a street drug to a recognized medicine, the layman’s language develops alongside it. What was once simply “the good shit” to all but the most discerning might today be commonly described as “a high-THC, sativa-dominant hybrid proven effective at treating depression and nausea,” for example. And as we buy increasingly from dispensaries rather than dealers, particular strain names are also making their way into common parlance. For states where the plant is only legal medicinally, this presents what some advocates consider a challenge.
Can we really be taken seriously when our medicine is called Afghooey or Alaskan Thunderfuck? Can we expect conservative politicians to nod their heads in approval when our doctors say, “Take two hits of Space Queen and call me in the morning”?
Some argue that we can’t, like this blogger from the United Patients Group, who states that the goofy strain names “run the gamut from mildly informative to completely bonkers,” and “undercut the legitimacy of cannabinoid medical treatment.” For a recreational user, this will offer little in the way of deterrence (and probably the opposite), but for someone struggling to have their medicinal needs respected, it’s worth considering.
The reality, however, is that marijuana’s colorful strain names come not from its shifting status as a street drug, but simply from being a cultivated plant with many varieties. Plenty of plant varieties have really weird names that one might easily mistake as slang for Schedule I substances: Extazy (watermelon), Pix Zee (peaches), Yaya (carrots). But perhaps the best example of all is tomatoes, whose varieties’ offbeat nomenclature rivals cannabis—in fact, several tomato varieties actually share their names with pot strains. While it’s unlikely our BLTs will ever be full of sliced MILF or Chocolope Kush, you might find your tomato is named something only slightly less bizarre.
Take this quiz to see if you can guess: Is it A) marijuana, B) a tomato, or C) both? (Answers below.)
1. Pony Express
2. Panama Red
3. Moonglow
4. Gremlin
5. Snow White
6. Cherry Buzz
7. Jet Star
8. Purple Star
9. Nice Cherry
10. Pineapple
11. Dutch Treat
12. Juliet
13. Holland
14. Lemon Drop
15. Mountain Magic
16. Red Dragon
17. Sweet Tooth
18. Tangerine Mama
19. Lucky Charms
20. Valley Girl
Answers:
1. Pony Express — B) tomato
2. Panama Red — A) marijuana
3. Moonglow — B) tomato
4. Gremlin — C) both
5. Snow White — C) both
6. Cherry Buzz — B) tomato
7. Jet Star — B) tomato
8. Purple Star — A) marijuana
9. Nice Cherry — A) marijuana
10. Pineapple — C) both
11. Dutch Treat — A) marijuana
12. Juliet — C) both
13. Holland — B) tomato
14. Lemon Drop — C) both
15. Mountain Magic — B) tomato
16. Red Dragon — A) marijuana
17. Sweet Tooth — A) marijuana
18. Tangerine Mama — B) tomato
19. Lucky Charms — A) marijuana
20. Valley Girl — C) both