The Colombian drug trade may be more known for its production of coca than cannabis, but Colombia’s native strains made their way to North America in bulk throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Like most landrace cannabis, pure Colombian strains are hard to find in today’s market, but many modern strains may have more Colombian lineage than most people realize.
Strains like Haze are said to have pure Colombian or Colombian-dominant lineage, and widespread breeding of strains like Northern Lights has imparted a considerable Colombian influence on modern genetics. Even though the Colombian genetics in modern cultivars like Miracle Alien Cookies have come into question, it nevertheless signifies Colombia’s ongoing legacy in American cannabis culture.
Given the similarities between Colombian landrace strains and modern American varieties (when compared to other landrace cannabis), Colombia’s small but growing legal export market may provide a pathway for its landrace strains to achieve global prominence once again.
Vintage Colombian Landrace Strains
For today’s consumers, some would say most landrace strains are a relic from the past that can’t be recreated, but there have always been products out there labeled as Colombian Gold, Panama Red, or other Colombian landrace strains. So what’s the deal?
The landrace Colombian strains we think of today were typically grown in one of two different climates: the mountains of Santa Marta, and the lowland coastal regions near Panama. Famously potent landrace strains like Colombian Gold and Santa Marta Purple were created by the equatorial sun and harsh weather of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Although it’s become a blanket term for marijuana to Spanish speakers, “La Mota” is originally a landrace strain from Santa Marta (it means ‘the flower’).
Perhaps the best example of a lowland Colombian strain is Panama Red, which is well-known by name, but not so easy to trace in its lineage. Some theorize that it’s descended from (or even identical to) highland Colombian Gold or other strains from the mounts of Santa Marta, a few hundred miles up the Caribbean coast. Moving from the mountains to coastal areas has a number of logistical benefits, and being in Panama would have allowed smugglers to avoid narcotics enforcement at the Colombian borders and coastlines. Even though the Caribbean coastline is still a great climate for cannabis cultivation, the potency of lowland crops probably didn’t match that of mountain-grown herb.
Although it’s likely cannabis first came to this region from Africa, genetic testing has suggested that at least some examples of classic Colombian Gold share genetic lineage with Thai landrace strains. That may indicate that Thai weed was brought to Colombia in the 1960s and 1970s, likely by American or European smugglers. What’s interesting is that other examples of Colombian Gold suggest a closer genetic relation to strains like Nigerian Silk, which could have been brought during the smuggling era, but also may indicate the relationships described above. Colombian landrace strains may be all of the above: domesticated African strains, Southeast Asian strains imported by Americans in the 1920s, and a wider variety of imports from the late 1960s onward, not to mention hybrids created over time.
In the end, trying to be exact about a particular Colombian landrace strain is like trying to define Chocolate Thai — names like ‘Colombian Gold’ or ‘Panama Red’ can be as much a reflection of regional traits and growing methods than the genetics themselves. For now, the fact that Colombian landrace strains were often described by their looks can go a long way in helping retrace history. As time goes on, genetic testing will undoubtedly reveal more.
Santa Marta Gold a.k.a. Colombian Gold
When it comes to Colombian Gold, everyone agrees on one thing: at some point, the magical pure sativa of the early 1970s became a watered-down version of itself. Whether that’s due to scaled-up commercial growing, genetic hybridization, or both depends on who you ask.
The strain probably originated in the coastal mountain regions of Santa Marta, from a variety of locations and climates. If you came across the ‘true’ vintage today, it might be labeled as ‘1972 Colombian Gold’, but it’s not entirely clear what the differences are from the 1980 Colombian Gold, the seeds of which were widely distributed and probably became the basis of most early Haze varieties. It’s often said that Old Timer’s Haze is the same as 1980 Colombian Gold, and you can see both look similar to the offering from Kiona above.
It’s perhaps best described by SnowHigh’s comments on their 1972 Colombian Gold offering, which say, “real Gold has an astringent quality, honeysuckle aroma and taste” with effects that are “a creeper high as well as immediate rush.” They continue, “At first one might think they are not actually high as the experience is remarkably different from all other types of cannabis. The high is euphoric but the experience affects the mind and leaves the body well-grounded as if the person experiencing the effects were high from the head up.”
Panama Red
Panama Red is one of the first Latin American strains to have gained recognition in the States, second only to Colombian Gold, although quite a few people seem to remember seeing Panama Red first. It’s been referenced in pop culture many times, including Van Halen’s song Amsterdam, the movies Detroit Rock City and Apocalypse Now, and the hit series Trailer Park Boys.
Although a number of sources point to red hairs as the source of its name, it could have also come from the purple color of the flowers, as seen above. Given the fact that Panama Red was widely available for over a decade, there was probably a variety of different buds labeled with the same name. Most of the time people are talking about plants that are much smaller and faster to flower than Colombian Gold, and some theorize it’s a hybrid of an imported indica strain, but others disagree.
The effects are also recounted differently, with some remembering heavy, narcotic effects that hit quickly, and others describing a lighter, upbeat effect similar to Colombian Gold. By today’s standards, we’d guess that even the heavier versions would be considered sativa dominant.
Check out our review of AltSol’s Panama Red from Washington DC. West Coast based producer Raven Grass has a Panama Red that has fairly light and gradual effects that uplift the mind but also mellow out the body, blending into an enjoyable state of clarity and relaxation.
Purple Corinto
For a taste of what a Colombian hybrid has to offer, Kiona offers a blend of the Corinto Monster with the legendary Hawaiian Puna Budder. Although Corinto may have eventually become a word that’s used more for commercial-grade weed, this example shows pristine Colombian lineage in its beauty, aroma, and effect. The smell is sweet and faintly herbal, with that undeniable ‘purple’ essence that American smokers would probably associate with the Mendocino Purps craze of the 1980s.
The buds are far less wispy than Santa Marta Gold, but the Corinto is still a true long-flowering Colombian and these flowers are anything but dense. The effects aren’t entirely different from the Santa Marta, but the Hawaiian brings in a small dose of euphoria that makes this a delightfully soothing and comfortable experience that I’d recommend to just about anyone.