Other Varieties

Jamaican pot is said to be very stimulating, and especially good for sex. "It has a quick head," a dealer told me, which means that the high comes and goes fairly swiftly. A college student writes: "Jamaican gives me such a good time! I laugh so hard I get aches in my jaw." A Minnesota woman claims she can't concentrate on sex when she's stoned, unless she has smoked Jamaican. Another smoker says that Jamaican is best for listening to music "because it puts my soul in rhythm with the universe."
    Hawaiian grass is a fairly recent arrival on the mainland. It is fairly new in Hawaii as well, where, except during World War II, marijuana has been largely unknown as a native plant. The recent commercial cultivation began in 1971 when a group known as the Brotherhood of External Love brought in some Afghani seeds and started growing sinsemilla on Maui.
    Today, marijuana is a major crop on the islands and makes its way to maturity in poor soil made from volcanic rock. Curiously, this seems to have no negative effect on the quality of the plants. According to one observer, the local farmers have compensated for the poor soil by their skilled use of fertilizers and compost. They also mix various exotic fruits, including the papaya, into the earth.
    Hawaiian marijuana is usually lush and green, with very few seeds. It is known for its intensity "It's impossible to smoke more than one joint of it," a smoker assured me. There are two famous varieties: the highly regarded Maui Wowie, and Kona Gold, described by a California accountant as the best grass he has ever smoked, well worth the steep price of $200 an ounce:

On Kona Gold you really can't even think because you're so gone. It blasts you away, and it's a great high. Only good Thai is similar to it, but even that doesn't blast you away. This stuff comes in long, stringy strands, full of resin and smelling sweet, and you know it's primo stuff. You look at it and smell it, and you just know.[12]

    Grown in an ideal climate with plenty of sunshine, Hawaiian marijuana enjoys another advantage: although it is both exotic and imported, it does not have to pass through customs on its way to the continental United States.
    Marijuana from Thailand is sometimes described as "off the ground and climbing" and is noted for the clarity of thought it produces. Thai grass is said to be good for introspection and for solving problems, although some users find it leads to a frustrating assault of too many viewpoints at once.
    Thai marijuana is generally sold in small sticks, but "Thai stick" has become a generic term, and not all fine buds tied to a stick come from Thailand. Connoisseurs complain that "Thai stick" has become a meaningless phrase and that even genuine Thai marijuana is not what it used to be.