Mr. Sherbinski (Courtesy photo)
(This is the first installment in a regular column from “Voice of the Plant” in collaboration with MJBizDaily.)
I started growing cannabis in California in the early 2000s. Back then, in the medical-only Prop. 215 days of cannabis collectives, when the only “permit” available was your doctor’s note, you were lucky if you had something rare and special in your garden.
Most of the people I knew were cultivating whatever they could get their hands on, running small garage grows in places like San Francisco’s Sunset District, a sleepy semi-suburban neighborhood on the city’s west side. I started with Afgoo, aka Affgooey, an indica-dominant cultivar that grew huge buds-the size of a two-liter soda bottle. A friend of mine grew that and an OG Kush cut he’d brought up from his days in the San Fernando Valley.
That friend was Ian, who grew up in Los Angeles alongside Josh D. If you know anything about OG Kush, you know that name. If you don’t: Grown underground by very few after it came from Florida to LA in the 90s, OG Kush ruled the black market in the early 2000s and commanded top dollar.
I wasn’t entrusted with cultivating that prized OG cut until years later. But from the beginning of my journey, I felt like the kush gods had a hand in what would eventually come out of one of my small garage grows: Gelato.
From garage grows to commercialization: How legalization changed cannabis breeding
Fast forward 25 years to today, and te cultivation landscape has completely changed.
Today, it’s common to hear someone call themselves a “breeder.” What was once rare is now everywhere. Legalized, commercialized cannabis, starting in California and spreading across the country has created reliability, infrastructure and opportunity. Growers now have legal access to an incredible variety of cultivars, allowing them to serve their communities with quality and diversity.
But with that access comes pressure. It’s no longer enough to grow something that simply gets you high. What used to satisfy small home growers must now also meet the demands of large-scale commercial cultivation across the country and around the world.
In today’s market, growers need something unique — but also something that checks every box.
The questions are constant:
- What’s the yield?
- What’s the THC percentage?
- How does it perform in my environment?
Adding a new genetic to your lineup isn’t a casual decision anymore—it’s a calculated move.
From OG Kush to Gelato: How strains take over an industry
It’s hard to overstate how special that OG cut was. In the early 2000s, OG Kush ruled the black market and commanded top dollar. After 2010, we saw that dominance fade and, eventually, the rise of the Gelato era. That wave carried well into the early 2020s. Gelato was bred into everything imaginable, creating a candy-forward movement that reshaped the flavor landscape.
That candy movement has dominated both legacy and legal markets ever since.
But nothing lasts forever.
Breeders are always chasing the next OG, the next Gelato—the strain that can dominate for a decade and influence the entire gene pool. Hitting that jackpot isn’t easy. It takes vision, patience, and timing.
People are always asking me: What’s fire right now? What’s next? Let’s talk about it.
The next hot cannabis strain is here
If you haven’t heard the words “Toad Venom” yet, consider this your introduction.
Toad Venom, bred by Ronin Seeds, is currently one of the most talked-about cuts among those who truly pay attention. There’s been drama around it—stolen cuts, fake versions circulating among big-name growers—but I’ll leave that for the internet to dissect.
What matters is this: the real cut, grown properly, is special. It hits hard and carries a distinct profile that stands out in today’s crowded market.
To my knowledge, only a small number of growers currently have access to the verified original cut. That rarity alone has everyone watching it closely.
Will Toad Venom reach legendary status? It’s too early to say. Commercial viability still matters: yield, structure, consistency.
But right now, it’s hot. And when something catches fire like that, the entire industry pays attention.
How cannabis cultivators are embracing the classics
At the same time, we’re seeing another shift: Old-school genetics are making a comeback.
While candy profiles still dominate wholesale markets, there’s a noticeable race to the bottom on pricing. As that happens, growers are searching for ways to stand out again.
Enter “candy-gas,” a blend of sweet profiles layered with that classic OG fuel. That gas adds potency, depth and a nostalgic punch that many consumers have been missing.
OG Kush is being requested more frequently. Sour Diesel and Chemdog varieties are creeping back into conversations. It’s the return of the gas across all sectors, from commercial to culture.
The challenge? Finding authentic cuts from original lineages is difficult—if not impossible. Only a handful of groups hold those truly legacy versions. Growing them well at scale is another hurdle entirely.
But when done right, they hit.
If you have access to authentic gas-forward genetics, now is the time to bring them back into your lineup. Across many U.S. markets, they’re moving.
What cannabis cultivators and breeders can do now to adapt
The gas is back, but it never disappeared completely. It was simply overshadowed.
When Gelato and the candy wave exploded, growers and consumers were hungry for something new. Now we’re watching a fusion of eras: candy profiles layered with OG backbone, new-school breeding informed by old-school flavor memory.
For cultivators, this is an opportunity. It’s a chance to round out lineups, reintroduce depth, and move beyond chasing trends toward building balanced, intentional gardens.
The market will always evolve. Waves will rise and fall. But authenticity, quality, and strong genetics endure.
From garage grows under Prop 215 to today’s commercial landscape, one thing hasn’t changed: the right cut, grown with intention, can still change the game.
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