I'm posting this for historical reference regarding CA. I grew up in Northern CA, the Bay Area in particular. As I've posted in previous threads throughout the mid to late 80s and into the early 90s, there was always a "dry season" that started around the beginning to middle of Aug and ran to the beginning to middle of september. For the other 11 months of the year we had a choice, kind green bud (KGB) most often probaly grown outdoors in the great outdoor regions of Northern CA and Southern Oregon. The mid grade weed was thai bud in its various incarnations (Fruity Thai (Juicy Fruit)), Golden Thai, Chocolate Thai, "Mint Chocolate Thai," Buddah Thai (reputed to be laced with opium but I never bought that- didn't pin my pupills.) During this time their was a transition from outdoor to indoor grow ops thanks in a large part to Operation Green Harvest, a joint venture between federal and state authorities to eradicate Cannabis cultivation. Still alot was being grown outdoors as places in Humboldt County (around Garberville, ect...), Mendocino, Sonoma, Marin, Santa Cruz Mountains, Big Sur, provided the ideal outdoor growing conditions (photo period, soil, climate, and in Humboldt in particular, had a long history of growing and selective breeding. Please refer to my thread
The relationship between outdoor conditions, varietals, and the finnnnished product. Green Harvest sent alot of growers indoors and south to the Santa Barbara Mountains were there was less heat. An anologous eradication program called "operation green merchant" targeted the Hawaiian Islands.
Back on track, during the dry season, if one was lucky enough to find buds it was usually "home grown". When I moved to San Diego for the first time in the early 90s I realized that home grown was poor quality seedy schwag from mexico, which Southern California was swimming in- sold at an inflated price. Moving down to San Diego mexican scwag was the only thing around although much cheaper than what we were paying up north. During the season, I would say it was 60-75% kind green, 20% thai, and the rest scwag. San Diego was 80-90% scwag and about 10%-20% green. Apparently, there was buds being cultivated here, the legendary strain California Orange originated in Southern CA if I'm not mistaken. There was a minor drought in aug but it wasn't a lack of availability as much as modest improvements in the quality and availabilty of swag. Starting in the late 90s and when I moved back to San Diego in 04' there was alot of kind bud, medicinal and other wise was easy to find in Southern CA. From 05'-08' I mostly smoked kind, got mids a few times, and smoked swag once or twice- which had seemed to have improved a little bit.
In 07' In Hawaii I got some buds at an exorbitant price. Smoking I was disappointed- they were mids at best. Some locals I partied with on the North Shore of oahu said that buds were being imported from the mainland. On my last trip to maui a few weeks ago- I didn't get any buds but the word was that Island cultivation was up significantly.
only top quality buds and hash.
