Thai

Thai became known in the 1970s as Thai Stick. The term referred to flowers from northeastern Thailand that were tied around a bamboo or hemp stalk, sometimes treated with hash oil, wrapped in fan leaves and left to mature underground. Hill tribes had grown cannabis in this region for a long time. Travel journalist John McMahon puts the quantity that left the country between 1968 and 1972 at around 1,000 tonnes. Flowers and seeds reached the USA in the 1970s and 1980s, with soldiers from the Vietnam War among those credited with bringing them. There is no breeder: the name stands for a landrace of pure sativa genetics native to Thailand.

Genetics and Origin:

An overview of the landraces of northeastern Thailand places traditional cultivation in the valleys of the Phu Phan Mountains, mainly in the provinces of Nakhon Phanom, Sakon Nakhon and Nong Khai. Locally, a distinction is made between Hang Kra Rog, the “squirrel tail”, and Hang Suea, the “tiger tail”, both named after the shape of the flower clusters. According to this overview, the plants reach 2.5 to 3 m in height at the site in around 6 months, and according to historical reports the harvest took place between December and March.

The name was already becoming blurred at the time of export, because traders sold any goods bound around sticks as Thai Stick. The end of the old stocks is also dated differently. One account cites state drug enforcement in the 1970s, McMahon the late 1970s, when farmers were meant to switch to coffee, and the overview of northeastern Thailand names large-scale eradication campaigns from 1984.

Common strain descriptions list Northern Lights and Amnesia Haze as descendants. Sensi Seeds’ description of Northern Lights speaks of originally pure Afghani genetics, which Neville Schoenmakers is said to have later crossed with a Thai landrace. For Haze, which originated in the 1960s in Santa Cruz, landraces from Colombia, Mexico, Thailand and southern India are named. A detailed user report disputes this and traces Haze solely to Colombian origins.

Versions from Different Breeders:

Seeds sold under the name now come from various suppliers whose details differ markedly. Zamnesia presents a feminized, photoperiod version as a pure landrace sativa. The breeder states 13 to 14 weeks of flowering indoors and 14 to 16 weeks outdoors, heights of 150 cm indoors and 300 cm outdoors, and yields of up to 400 g/m² indoors and up to 800 g per plant outdoors. Zamnesia gives the THC content as 19 % and the CBD content as low, and the breeder rates cultivation as easy.

ACE Seeds designates its line as Thai Stick and sources it from traditional Thai Stick producers. Feminized seeds of it never existed. ACE Seeds states 16 to 18 weeks of flowering, an outdoor harvest in December and a medium yield.

THC Content:

Without reference to a particular version, a common strain description gives 19 % THC and 1 % CBG. The same source bases its terpene profile on tested products and lists caryophyllene as the dominant terpene, followed by myrcene and limonene.

Aroma and Flavor:

Earthy and woody notes recur in several descriptions. Zamnesia adds chocolate, citrus and diesel for its version, while ACE Seeds describes Thai Stick as spicy and woody with a lemon note. Other strain descriptions list tobacco, tea and incense alongside sweet, tropical notes, and another names pine and spicy fruit; this source describes the smoke as sweet and creamy with a sour pine note. User reports also mention grapefruit, leather and a woodland herbal smell. One consumer disliked precisely this herbal note and the taste.

Effects:

The core of the user reports is an energizing, head-centered effect with euphoria, creativity and focus, along with talkativeness and giddiness. Several reports say users remain able to work. ACE Seeds describes the effect of its version as clear and activating. Others report drowsiness or a strong body feeling instead, and one person described sitting at a party, by their own account, as if glued to the chair. Those who knew Thai Sticks from the 1970s recall them as more intense. Reported side effects include dry eyes and dry mouth, occasionally mild nervousness as the effect fades, visual distortions and, at higher amounts, paranoia.

Cultivation:

Assessments of difficulty differ widely. One strain description rates Thai as moderately difficult, while another considers cultivation outside tropical climate zones demanding because of the long growth phase and slow flowering, and feasible rather in a greenhouse. The statements on climate also contradict each other: Zamnesia names tropical-humid conditions, another source a hot, dry subtropical climate. The same source gives only 9 to 11 weeks of flowering indoors and a harvest in late October.

According to Zamnesia, the plants grow tall with light green foliage and long side shoots and stretch strongly before flowering. Customers of the breeder report long grows with good yields, seeds that need warmth to germinate, and variable germination rates.