Dear Stoner: I've noticed some random strains becoming popular, but why is that? I understand why Gorilla Glue or Sour Diesel are big, but why Blue Dream, Red Headed Stranger or something else uninspired?
KP

Dear KP: Although you might think Red Headed Stranger is “uninspired,” I know plenty of tokers who love its balanced high and prefer it over Gorilla Glue. However, your question highlights the pot industry’s power over the types of strains that we have access to. Strains like Blue Dream, for example, will always be popular in dispensaries because of their high yields and toughness against fungus and temperature fluctuation. Yield, not potency, is generally what drives flower prices; some rarer Kush strains can take upwards of ten weeks to flower and have relatively small yields.

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That said, if a strain has the popularity and demand of Gorilla Glue or Sour Diesel, dispensaries will carry the strain no matter what the yield is. Lesser-known strains, though, will have a harder time getting shelf space without lucrative characteristics such as high potency and yield, short flowering periods and pest and fungus resistance — unless they get a big reputation on the black market first.

Have a question for our Stoner? E-mail marijuana@westword.com.