Humans have used and cultivated cannabis for thousands of years. It wasn’t until the 1930’s that an aggressive, propagandized national campaign in the United States falsely equated using cannabis with insanity, criminal activity and murder. The result was that cannabis cultivation was outlawed in the US. Smuggled cannabis met the demand of the illegal market, as any domestic growing was forced deep underground.

When smoking “pot” or “marijuana” became part of the social change that began in the 1960’s, there was virtually no domestic cannabis industry. As more people tried cannabis and enjoyed it without experiencing any of the exaggerated government claims, demand increased. Smuggled cannabis from Mexico, and Columbia poured into the States and vets returning from Southeast Asia brought back cannabis and a variety of seeds from throughout that region. Even though cultivation and use of cannabis was still a crime, as the “back to land” movement took root in northern California, western Oregon and Washington, growing one’s own cannabis became an integral part of the movement for economical and political reasons. Starting with high-quality seeds smuggled from other countries and through years of hard work; crude and sophisticated breeding methods; and luck, these early Pacific NW growers developed new strains of domestic cannabis, which in the beginning were often referred to as “homegrown.” These domestically grown strains quickly gained a national reputation for being more potent than many of the popular imported varieties. As smuggling became more difficult and demand for high-quality cannabis grew, prices went up. Many growers, who had been harvesting enough for personal use and selling to friends, now grew more plants to meet the demand and cash in on the rising prices. Although still illegal with harsh sentences for offenders, cannabis cultivation became a big underground business. Homegrown soon became further branded by location and then by new “marketing” names as growers throughout the Northwest competed for a share of the expanding black market.