Ask a Stoner: What Is "Skunk Weed?"

Back in your mom's day, that was a clear sign of good shit.

August 2, 2024

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Dear Stoner: My mom's pretty cool about my cannabis use, but she always says my "skunk weed" is too strong. What is "skunk weed," and is it something I should be interested in?
Leela

Dear Leela: I've never been so sure that someone was born after the year 2000. But even without the generational disconnect, it pains me to know that skunky weed isn't prevalent enough for you to understand that reference. The original Skunk strain was named because it smelled very much like the spray of a skunk — though the aromatic compounds are very different — and back in your mom's day, that was a clear sign of good shit.

Skunk was one of the most popular strains of its time, but the genetics went extinct before recreational legalization took hold in America, and consumer tastes don't really align with the rubbery, odiferous funk that is skunk weed anymore. Although there are still plenty of skunky-smelling strains and odes to the original out there, most dispensary shoppers want weed that tastes like fruit slushies and candy, and growers have bills to pay. Garlic and onion terps come close to scratching that itch, but they're still not the same.

Send questions to [email protected].

Herbert Fuego is the resident stoner at Westword, ready to answer all your marijuana questions.

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