In simple terms, a hybrid cannabis strain is essentially any plant that isn’t a purebred or native strain. There are hundreds (if not thousands) of cannabis varieties in the world, many of which grew in the wild before human intervention. These original landrace strains had the opportunity to evolve over long periods of time to better adapt to the local climate and light exposure levels.
Therefore, indica plants that were native to the northern regions of the world (such as the Himalayas), where sunny summers only last a few months, evolved to have a shorter flowering period that is better adjusted to those climatic conditions. In contrast, sativa plants are much more common near the equator, and can sometimes take between 10 and 12 weeks to complete the flowering – but this certainly isn’t a problem when you enjoy 12 hours of natural light throughout most of the year.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, experimentation with recreational substances was an essential part of the “flower power” movement. The first Americans used to smoke low-quality indigenous sativas that were smuggled from Mexico, Colombia, or Panama. At some point, these young men set out on what became known as the "hippie trail": the overland journey from Europe to southern Asia. Through the countries of the Middle East, tourists were exposed to a whole new wealth of cannabis varieties from Afghanistan, India, and Nepal.
Indica strains native to this area delivered a very different flavour and psychoactive experience. When these seeds made it to the US in the pockets of these travellers, growers were happy to discover that their flowering was much faster (often only 7 to 9 weeks), meaning they could easily be ready for harvest before the end of October.
The exact version of who invented the first hybrids is difficult to pinpoint. For example, it is speculated that the union of the sativa Colombian Gold and an Afghan male indica eventually gave way to the Skunk hybrid (which to this day is still a legendary name in the cannabis sector).
Similarly, the Haze lineage derives from an early hybridisation process in the early 1970s involving a potent cross between classic sativa strains from Mexico, Colombia, Thailand, and southern India. As with Skunk, Haze is still a popular strain in its own right, and has also been blended with some of the best hybrids of all time.
