THE STRAIN-NAME GAME
OCTOBER 2, 2019
By Stone Leaf
. . .it didn’t take me long to realize that there just wasn’t a lot of useful information on the web regarding the strains I was seeing at the dispensaries.
For instance, the Grassroots’ strain, P Budder, which is just awesome (check back for my review on P Budder coming soon).
When you search for P Budder or Grassroots P Budder strain, etc. etc., the results point to the more widely recognized, Puna Budder strain. All except for the site Jane.com, where you can purchase P Budder.
Am I supposed to assume that these two strains genetically the same, but with different names? Is P Budder a different strain altogether?
INTERESTING FACT:
PUNA BUTTER IS SOMETIMES THOUGHT TO BE A DERIVATION, OR A “CORRUPTION” OF THE PEANUT BUTTER STRAIN. This is untrue: The name refers to the big island of archipelago on the “big” island of Hawaii
Grassroots, the company that makes “P Budder” among other incredibly potent strains, describes their products as having “unique genetics”.
It seems to me, the best way to catalog and market these strains, is to treat them as their own genetic and stylistic entity as Grassroots has done, however it is just too vague and I’m left wondering.
Maybe Grassroots is just being cagey, protective, in a rapidly growing tumultuous market.
Besides, even if P Budder is simply Puna Budder in a different hat, I wouldn’t be let down and based on previous experience with Grassroots products, I would tend to think knowing that their P Budder is Puna Budder would only peak my interest more because I trust them as a company and I enjoy their products. In fact, you’ll see me recommend them here a lot, because I dig what they are doing in Maryland.
If Leafly.com were to simply include an “aka P Budder “etc. in their description of Puna Budder, it would be barely enough for me, since, I would still feel illegitimate reading the strain description for Puna Budder or Peanut Butter, etc.
At least we would know that the grower considers it to be a thoughtful recreation, reinterpretation, or simply a renaming due to legal or trademark issues.
One must consider the many trademark cases over the recent years involving strain names, especially over the recent years.
Strains such as Girl Scout Cookies (now GSC), Gorilla Glue (now GG#4), Jägermeister (JGR), and the list goes on, have felt the sting of the gavel simply because of their very name. had to adopt new names to market, long after they gained in popularity and consumers came to identify their brand names, stolen, borrowed, or mutilated with their favorite strain. That can be psychologically tricky and quite costly in business.
You can read more about the Strain Suits You can read all about “the Strain Suits” at Green Rush Daily just click HERE
We apparently are a supportive bunch because I see GG#4 in every conceivable format at every dispensary that I visit, or that send me text updates. So, I don’t think anyone got hurt from that one. Apparently Skywalker OG will not be so lucky after George Lucas gets finished.
Already there is a new name that has been afforded it, before it gets too heated: Mazar x Blueberry (the parents strains of Skywalker OG ) is the new name for Skywalker OG….
Maybe Grassroots is trying to avoid this, because, I have to say, I don’t think P Budder is going ANYWHERE, AT LEAST NOT WITHOUT ME. It is a fantastic strain with a lot of staying power
So, in the case of P Budder we could be seeing a proactive attempt at avoiding any possible litigation based on the strain’s similarity to Puna Budder. So, yes it could be due to potential trademark and/or intellectual property litigation.
But I intend to research this issue as deeply and intensely as time and transparency allow. I would like to clarify these questions and receive some reasonable answers.
Perhaps asking Maryland growers themselves. Stay tuned for further updates to this discussion.
All of this could be due to potential trademark and/or intellectual property litigation. But I intend to research this issue as deeply and intensely as time and transparency allow.
In the coming weeks I will be reaching out to some Maryland Cannabis industry insiders in order to further clarify and make sense of this issue.
Please comment, and let me what you think. I’m sure there are a multitude of employees of the MD Cannabis industry, that understand more than I would regarding the impetus for renaming strains, etc.
Stay tuned for further updates on this article.
And, well, call me old fashioned, or hard headed, but I can’t, in good conscience, substitute a Pepsi for a Coke, or a Dr. Pepper for a Mr. Pibb..they are not similar enough to be substituted for one another without the recipient noticing, despite what some fast food chains may posture. ..yes they are similar enough in a very general sense, but not enough to use as a reference for one another’s flavor or essence.…
Likewise, P Budder, Puna Budder, and, say, Peanut Butter Breath are all marijuana…you see my point I’m sure …and besides, if, at the very least, I don’t see an “aka as (strain name)”, then I’m thinking Google is just doing its very best to accommodate me, yet failing me atl the same time …hhhmm. . ..
So, if I’m being an honest blogger and I’m ever able to endorse something that I truly believe is just an awesome…whatever it is…then I will….and for this week, hands down that accolade goes to P BUDDER by Grassroots
MY MAIN EXAMPLE BEING P BUDDER BY GRASS ROOTS,
which only has an implied genetic tether to the infamous “Puna Budder”(CLICK HERE TO READ HERE) AT least to me since I can’t seem to find a lot about it. Other than what it’s taught me, which is that I, REALLY LIKE P BUDDER, NOT CRAZY ABOUT THE NAME,BUT LOVE THE FLOWER.
Speaking of which, just a tip, don’t ever try to photograph top shelf cannabis buds , like some P BUDDER buds for instance, WITH an open peanut butter faced sandwich and a handheld light, especially right after ingesting some top shelf cannabis buds, like some P BUDDER BUDS for instance….anyhoo.
In the Leafly.com article by ______one will find more than ample evidence toward what I am writing here. Potentially infinite almost granular complexity and nuance of the plant that we cherish. And, how there is a such variance in its cultivation and its supposed pure lines genetic information or lineage.
All photos used for this article were taken by mdcannabisreviews.com. Only the photos of Puna Budder strain (2 above) were obtained on the web and are ONLY used for reference purposes.
- The image on the left was sourced from www.cannabis.wiki
- image on the right was sourced from weedy.com