Haze Genetics

Origins of Original Haze (Santa Cruz, 1969–1975)

Original Haze stands as one of cannabis history’s most fabled cultivars – a pure equatorial sativa whose electrifying high and global influence have made it a living legend. Born in the counterculture haven of Santa Cruz, California in the late 1960s, the journey of Haze weaves together chance discovery, clandestine breeding, mythic “brothers,” and worldwide dissemination. Below, we chronicle the full saga of Haze genetics, from its serendipitous origins and early phenotypes, through its spread to the East Coast and preservation in Holland, to its explosion of hybrids and enduring cultural legacy. This immersive account is organized into sections that each narrate a chapter of Haze’s history, complete with timelines, lineage charts, and maps for visual context.

In 1969, on the misty coast of Santa Cruz, California, a happy accident gave birth to what would become Original Haze. A young local surfer known only as “G”—not even a particularly avid smoker—planted some seeds from a bag of Colombian Punto Rojo (“Red Point”) he had acquired. By pure chance, one of G’s tall Colombian sativa females became pollinated (likely by another exotic sativa nearby). This unintentional “pollen chuck” produced a trove of seeds – the luckiest accident imaginable – yielding the genetic foundation of Haze. What began as a humble cross of tropical landrace genetics would soon evolve into one of the most famous cannabis strains of all time.

G teamed up with a fellow grower, Robert Lund, identified by the initials “R.L.”, and over the early 1970s, they cultivated successive generations of these seeds in the mountains near Santa Cruz (in places like the Corralitos hills). Each year they selected the best plants and sowed their seeds for the next season. Cannabis lore holds that new genetics were introduced over several seasons – in the first year a Mexican sativa was crossed with a Colombian, the next year a South Indian male was added, and in the third year a Thai was introduced. The end result by the mid-1970s was a polyhybrid 100% sativa line reputedly containing Colombian, Mexican, South Indian, and Thai ancestry. Whether by design or simply by harnessing the rich variability hidden in the original seeds, G and R.L. had, by 1975, refined a one-of-a-kind fusion of landrace sativas – the cultivar that would come to be known simply as “Original Haze”.

Map showing the possible geographic origins of Haze’s parent landrace strains. Haze was a blend of genetics from Colombia, Mexico, India, and Thailand, reflecting the global cannabis exchange of the 1960s–70s.

The Four Haze Sisters: Legendary Phenotypes

One extraordinary aspect of Original Haze was its phenotypic diversity. Growers in the 1970s observed that Haze plants would consistently express a spectrum of four main phenotypes, which came to be known as the “Four Haze Sisters.” These were not fully distinct strains, but rather recurring expressions within the Haze gene pool, often labeled by color or defining aroma:

Purple/Magenta Haze (aka “Purple Haze” or the Rootbeer pheno): Characterized by purple-tinted calyxes late in flowering and a sweet, spicy incense-like aroma with a hint of soda. Insiders nicknamed it the Rootbeer phenotype for its uncanny fizzy sweet scent. This was the phenotype that inspired the moniker “Purple Haze,” enshrined by the Jimi Hendrix song, though the song itself pre-dated the strain and was actually about an LSD trip. The Purple Haze pheno produced dreamy, euphoric highs and often showed striking violet hues by harvest.
Gold Haze: A phenotype that tended to have golden-tinged buds and a musky, incense-and-pine odor. Some described the un-cured flowers as smelling like “cat piss” late in bloom. Gold Haze plants delivered a hazy, intensely cerebral high, with foxtailed, airy buds that could take on a yellowish cast. This expression was prized for its soaring, clear effect.
Silver Haze: A rarer phenotype noted for a silvery, light-green appearance and a peppery, spicy sweetness in aroma. The Silver Haze pheno was reputed to be the most potent of the four – an electric, “no-ceiling” head high that many considered the truest showcase of Haze’s power. Buds were often longer and more spear-like, with a slightly higher calyx-to-leaf ratio, appearing “silvery” from heavy resin.
Blue Haze: A slightly stockier (by Haze standards) phenotype with a subtle bluish-green hue. Its aroma was less defined in early accounts, sometimes described as a smooth herbal sweetness. The Blue Haze delivered an energetic yet balanced high. Some conjecture that this phenotype’s name foreshadowed later hybrids like Blue Dream, though Blue Dream actually came decades later and was a deliberate Blueberry cross (more on that later).

Despite these nicknames, all were Haze – essentially different faces of the same wildly heterozygous family. Notably, all Haze plants shared hallmark traits: tall, lanky growth with long internodes, narrow leaflets, extremely long flowering times (often 14–16+ weeks), and a distinctive red sap/resin that would ooze from cut stems. Old-timers took that red sap as a sign of true Haze genetics. The plants often didn’t fully finish until November or December outdoors in Santa Cruz’s climate, meaning Haze really only thrived in that unique coastal environment (or in greenhouses) where the fall weather stayed mild enough to let them ripen. G and R.L. were willing to babysit these long-season giants because the payoff was unparalleled.

By 1975, G and R.L. had settled on the name “Original Haze.” According to later accounts, G coined the name partly as a nod to Jimi Hendrix’s Purple Haze (a song that was iconic in the psychedelic scene). The term “Haze” also fits the effects of the strain – it left your head pleasantly hazy and surrounded by a cloud of sweet smoke. Little did they know how important that name would become in distinguishing the genuine article from countless imitators in years to come. Original Haze, with its rainbow of phenotypes and unmatched high, was now a bona fide legend in California’s underground – and its journey was only just beginning.

Effects & Anecdotes: What truly cemented Haze’s legend was its unmatched high. Users in the ’70s were astonished by the clear, euphoric, almost psychedelic quality of Haze’s effect. It was powerfully psychoactive without a ceiling – “the more you smoked, the higher you got,” as many recall. Unlike the earthy, sedative Afghan indicas coming into vogue in the late ’70s, Haze was all head and no body: an energizing, creative, laughter-inducing mental rocket ride. “Acid-like” is how one grower described it. Breeder Harry Resin recounts sessions in Amsterdam where experienced smokers went through 50+ grams of Haze in a night and just kept climbing higher, marveling that it “never capped out”. This soaring effect, combined with rich aromas of sweet incense, exotic spice, wood, and even acrid ammonia in some phenos, made Haze an instant connoisseur favorite despite its growing challenges.

A Haze Time Capsule – The Cosmic Boogie Poster (1976): As Haze’s local fame grew, R.L. decided to commemorate it in a very ’70s fashion – by creating a limited-run poster celebrating the strain’s cultivation. In 1976, R.L., his girlfriend, and a graphic artist friend produced the “Original Haze – The Cosmic Boogie” poster. This hand-drawn poster, sold under the counter at a local Santa Cruz grow shop, detailed the Haze soil recipe, germination timing, and harvest months (recommending a December “harvest moon” cut). It was likely the first “marketing campaign” for a cannabis strain. Only those “in the know” could get a copy, and it added to the mystique – a piece of cannabis folk art from the underground scene. (Original copies of this rare poster have since become highly prized collectibles, with one reportedly selling for thousands of dollars decades later.) Such anecdotes underscore how special Haze had become to its creators and inner circle by the mid-1970s.

Cultural Context: Santa Cruz in the late ’60s and early ’70s was a hotbed of surf culture and hippie counterculture. Adventurous travelers regularly brought back exotic cannabis seeds from far-flung locales – Colombian Golds, Oaxacan and Michoacán Mexican varieties, Thai “Buddha sticks,” etc. The long growing season and mild climate on California’s central coast provided an ideal outdoor/greenhouse environment for these tropical sativas. It was in this milieu of experimentation and abundance of imported genetics that Haze was born. G and R.L. weren’t formally trained breeders; as one insider put it, much of Haze’s development was “organic” – they let plants open-pollinate and simply re-grew seeds from the best volunteers each year. In a sense, Haze was a happy accident of the Santa Cruz scene, a product of both intention and Mother Nature’s serendipity.

Expansion to the East Coast and the Myth of the “Haze Brothers”

During the mid-1970s, word of Santa Cruz’s sensational Haze began spreading beyond California. Among those who fell in love with its soaring high were a trio of brothers from New Jersey attending college in Santa Cruz. These three East Coast brothers – known later by the pseudonyms Joey, Bobby, and Petey – recognized the business opportunity in this rare sativa. They started brokering large shipments of Haze buds back to the East Coast, smuggling suitcases full of Haze flower on cross-country flights. By the late ’70s, much of the Haze being savored in New York City clubs and secret sessions was actually grown in California and transported by this New Jersey trio.

As they built their illicit cannabis trade, the brothers cultivated an aura of mystery around the product. They famously adopted the nickname “the Haze Brothers” for themselves – borrowing the strain’s name to boost their street cred. On the East Coast, consumers just knew that “Haze” was this incredible exotic weed, and it came from the so-called Haze Brothers. The moniker stuck, and a mythos was born.

Reality vs. Legend: In truth, G and R.L. – the actual growers of Original Haze – never called themselves the “Haze Brothers.” They were just two friends (not related) who grew a strain they originally dubbed Haze. The New Jersey trio was the one who popularized that catchy nickname for marketing purposes. Over time, the lore became muddled: many assumed the Haze Brothers were the breeders back in California. Even some popular strain databases and articles mistakenly refer to “two brothers R. Haze and J. Haze,” creating Haze in Santa Cruz – a likely confusion of R.L.’s and G’s initials retrofitted into a surname. In reality, the “Haze Brothers” as breeders never existed; it was a brand adopted by East Coast dealers to sell Santa Cruz Haze.

Nonetheless, the efforts of the New Jersey crew were crucial in Haze's history. They effectively introduced Original Haze to East Coast cannabis culture, where it became an instant sensation. In New York City, Haze took on a life of its own, spawning hybrids with famous strains such as Northern Lights #5. Uptown in Harlem and Washington Heights, the high-end Haze genetics became known as “Piff” or “Uptown Haze,” a reference to its elusive, church-incense aroma and potent kick. By the early 1980s, “Uptown Piff” was the stuff of legend – a coveted, expensive smoke in NYC often sold in secretive networks. Because seeds were rarely, if ever, sold by the Californians, the supply remained limited and tightly controlled. This only increased its cachet. To this day, older heads in New York speak of “The Piff” in almost religious terms – many not realizing it all traces back to that Santa Cruz greenhouse.

By 1980, Haze had traversed the continent, from its birthplace in California to a devoted following in New York. It achieved this without seed catalogs or legal dispensaries – purely via word of mouth, illicit distribution, and the mystique crafted by both the Santa Cruz growers and the East Coast smugglers. The Haze Brothers myth, while not literally true, nonetheless helped cement Haze’s reputation. It gave smokers a romantic story to attach to those wispy, resinous buds: a story of rebel brothers, secret gardens, and a strain that could blow the roof off your mind. And crucially, it set the stage for the next chapter: Haze’s narrow escape from disappearing, thanks to one man who became its unlikely savior.

The Haze Name: The very name “Original Haze” is itself a product of this era. As mentioned, G had chosen the name around 1975, partly inspired by Hendrix’s Purple Haze. Once the East Coast operation was in full swing, the name became a mark of authenticity – distinguishing the real Santa Cruz Haze from any pretenders. By the time the Haze Brothers (NJ) were hyping it up out East, “Original Haze” was firmly established in the underground market lexicon as a premium brand.

Preservation and Spread Through Sam “The Skunkman”

By the late 1970s, growing pure Haze was becoming a challenge even for G and R.L. The strain’s extreme flowering time and wispy yields made it less than ideal for commercial scale, especially as indica hybrids (like Afghani-derived strains) started taking over with their faster harvests. In 1976, a falling-out between G and R.L. ended their partnership, and after a final local grow, R.L. moved on (rumored to have headed to Mexico for large-scale cultivation). G himself, after nearly a decade with Haze, eventually found the line unsustainable: the buds were too thin and late-maturing for mass production, and he never stabilized the line via selective breeding. Sometime around 1981, after roughly a 10-year run, the original Haze project in Santa Cruz wound down – the final crops didn’t meet expectations, and G transitioned to easier-to-grow varieties (ironically, he filled the void with seeds of Skunk #1 that a friend sold him).

It was a perilous moment for Haze’s survival. Had things ended there, Haze might have been relegated to a footnote in California cannabis lore. **Enter Sam “The Skunkman” (real name David Watson), a figure who would single-handedly ensure Haze lived on. Sam was a local Santa Cruz grower and seed collector who had been acquainted with G and R.L. during the Haze years. In the 1970s, Sam (nicknamed “Skunkman” for developing Skunk #1) was part of a collective called Sacred Seeds. He knew the value of Haze’s genetics and quietly made moves to preserve them. According to Sam (as later reported by breeder Todd McCormick), G exchanged some Haze seeds with Sam in the early ’70s, allowing Sam to hold a portion of the stock. Sam reportedly grew a couple of Haze plants around 1975 and saved seeds from them, maintaining what he called the “original three-way combination” (likely referring to the Colombian/Mexican x South Indian x Thai cross). While G and R.L. continued open-pollinating and possibly outcrossing Haze in subsequent years, Sam kept a batch of the earlier, less hybridized seed line safe.

In 1982, a police raid on Sacred Seeds in California threatened to scatter these precious genetics. Sam was arrested in the raid, but remarkably, the authorities failed to seize the seed stash – they only sealed the warehouse. With the help of lawyers, Sam was released within hours, and he and his crew stealthily returned to retrieve their seeds and plants before law enforcement realized the mistake. Among the genetics rescued were Skunk #1 and the preserved Haze seeds.

Freed from legal trouble and seeing little future in American cannabis cultivation at the time (the Reagan-era War on Drugs was ramping up), Sam made a bold move: he relocated to Amsterdam in 1983. He carried with him a trove of California’s finest genetics, including Haze. In Holland, with a more tolerant climate for cannabis, Sam resumed work on Haze. He germinated and grew out some of his Haze stock, sharing and trading with other pioneering breeders there. Sam’s role in Holland was foundational: he “turned the world onto Haze,” as Todd McCormick put it. Rather than immediately trying to create new hybrids, Sam continued to reproduce Haze in pure form, keeping it going as an inbred line (IBL) through the 1980s and beyond.

One of the first beneficiaries of Sam’s move was an Australian expatriate in Holland named Nevil Schoenmakers. Nevil ran The Seed Bank, the world’s first mail-order cannabis seed company. Around 1984–85, Sam (operating under his seed outfit “Cultivators Choice”) provided Nevil with a batch of Original Haze seeds – reportedly 10 seeds in total. Nevil germinated these and eventually selected specific Haze plants (famously known as Haze A and Haze C males) to incorporate into hybrid breeding. With Sam’s gifted seeds and a collection of Afghan indicas Nevil had gathered, the stage was set for Haze to enter a new era: the era of Dutch breeding, where Haze’s genes would ignite a revolution in cannabis strain development.

Before we dive into that, it’s worth underscoring Sam’s contribution. Had Sam the Skunkman not saved those seeds and carried them to Holland, Original Haze may have been lost to extinction. Instead, through his preservation efforts, he extended Haze’s life and spread its reach globally. By the mid-1980s, Original Haze seeds (and a few clones) were quietly circulating among select breeders in Amsterdam – an ocean away from its Santa Cruz birthplace – and poised to become the backbone of many legendary strains.

Sam’s Perspective: Sam The Skunkman later noted that by the late ’70s, the original Haze growers had “lost the variety due to over-hybridization” – adding too many different inputs and not stabilizing it. Had it not been for Sam preserving seeds from the initial crosses, the world might have lost Haze entirely by the 1980s. Instead, Sam focused on preservation rather than further breeding of Haze at that time. He was busy working on Skunk #1 in California, so Haze was put on the backburner – but safely stored.

Dutch Breeding and the Hybrid Explosion (1980s–90s)

Upon arrival in the Netherlands in the early 1980s, Haze genetics found fertile ground – both literally and figuratively. Amsterdam was becoming the new epicenter of cannabis innovation, thanks to the quasi-legal status of seed breeding and the open-minded environment. With Sam’s Haze seeds and clones now in Dutch hands (Sam himself and contacts like Nevil, as well as others such as Karel Schelfhout of Super Sativa Seed Club), breeders were eager to harness Haze’s legendary high while overcoming its drawbacks (lengthy bloom, low yield). What followed was a burst of hybridization that cemented Haze’s legacy by blending it into new, award-winning strains.

Nevil’s Work: NL#5 x Haze and Neville’s Haze

Breeder Nevil Schoenmakers was among the first to experiment with Haze in Holland. At The Seed Bank (which later became Sensi Seeds), Nevil’s strategy was to cross Haze with powerful indicas to create more grower-friendly hybrids. One of his landmark creations was Northern Lights #5 x Haze, a cross of an elite Afghani indica (NL#5) with a Haze male (from Sam’s stock). This hybrid combined Haze’s soaring cerebral high with Northern Lights’ shorter flowering time and denser buds. The resulting NL#5xHaze was released as seed in the late 1980s and quickly gained renown for delivering the full-strength Haze experience in a more manageable form. It “helped reverse the decline of the psychedelic sativa” by making Haze-like effects achievable for indoor growers. NL#5xHaze won multiple awards and became a cornerstone of many future hybrids.

Nevil also backcrossed and selected within the Haze line itself. In particular, he kept a stellar Haze-dominant female (said to be ¾ Haze, likely NL#5/Haze crossed back to Haze) and crossed it with another pure Haze male – the result was released as Neville’s Haze in the early 1990s. Neville’s Haze was about 75% Haze and 25% NL#5, and it became famous for being one of the most potent, purest sativa experiences available at the time. Growers marveled that Neville’s Haze could still test the limits of one’s mind (and patience in the grow room), with flowering times of 14 weeks or more and a stratospheric high. It was a homage to the original Santa Cruz Haze, keeping that line alive for a new generation.

Meanwhile, Sam the Skunkman had founded his own company, Cultivators Choice, offering pure Original Haze seeds in Holland by the mid-80s. Other Dutch seed outfits like The Flying Dutchmen and Seedsman (UK-based, but selling Sam’s stock) also offered Original Haze as a varietal. This meant that, for the first time, Haze genetics were accessible to any grower willing to take on the challenge. Though pure Haze remained a connoisseur’s endeavor, its genes were now diffusing rapidly into the global genepool.

Sensi Seeds and the Birth of Silver Haze & Jack Herer

By the late 1980s, Nevil had merged The Seed Bank with Ben Dronkers’ Sensi Seed Club to form Sensi Seeds, which continued the Haze breeding. One of Sensi’s crowning achievements in 1989 was Silver Haze, a hybrid specifically crafted to deliver Haze’s magic in a faster, compact plant. Silver Haze is reported to be Haze crossed with a special non-dominant Indica (likely NL#5) and perhaps Skunk #1 as well, to add bulk. The name came from the silvery sheen of the trichomes on its dense buds. “Silver Haze was the first seed strain to offer a solution – delivering the full-strength Haze experience in a fatter, faster form,” notes Sensi’s catalog. Growers could now get that uplifting Haze high without 4-meter-tall plants or waiting till Christmas to harvest. Silver Haze won awards and proved that Haze hybrids could truly marry potency with practicality.

Around the same time, Sensi Seeds introduced another future legend: Jack Herer. Bred in the early 1990s and named after the famed cannabis activist, Jack Herer, was a polyhybrid combining Haze with Northern Lights #5 and Shiva Skunk (Skunk #1 x NL cross). The goal was to capture Haze’s soaring cerebral high and resin profile along with the heavy yield and resin production of its indica side. Jack Herer hit that mark, winning Cannabis Cups and becoming one of the most beloved strains globally. It’s often described as having a blissful, clear-headed elevation (from the Haze) balanced by just enough body euphoria from the NL#5/Shiva Skunk side – a true balanced hybrid. According to Leafly, “Combining a Haze hybrid with a Northern Lights #5 and Shiva Skunk, Sensi created Jack Herer, hoping to capture both cerebral elevation and heavy resin production”. Indeed, Jack Herer’s success further cemented Haze’s place in the cannabis pantheon – even when diluted, its influence shone through in the strain’s uplifting effects.

The Green House & Mr. Nice Era: Super Silver Haze, Mango Haze, etc.

As the 1990s progressed, two key breeders carried the Haze torch forward: Arjan Roskam of Green House Seeds in Amsterdam, and Howard Marks (Mr. Nice)/Shantibaba of Mr. Nice Seeds. In the mid-90s, Green House had assembled a dream team of breeders, including Neville Schoenmakers and Shantibaba (Scott Blakey). They had access to Nevil’s Haze hybrids and breeding stock. The result was an onslaught of Haze hybrids dominating the Cannabis Cup in the late ’90s:

Super Silver Haze (SSH) – Bred by Shantibaba and Nevil at Green House (circa 1997), Super Silver Haze combined the best of three worlds: Haze, Skunk #1, and Northern Lights #5. The often cited lineage is Skunk #1 x NL#5 x Haze. SSH won High Times Cannabis Cups in 1997, 1998, and 1999 back-to-back, a feat few strains have accomplished. It delivered an intensely energetic, long-lasting high (thanks to Haze) with faster flowering and ample resin. Growers loved that SSH had a reasonable 9–10 week bloom yet retained that spicy-citrus incense aroma and uplifting euphoria of Haze. It became a benchmark for sativa-dominant hybrids and solidified the Haze family’s dynasty in the 90s.
Mango Haze – After Shantibaba left Green House and co-founded Mr. Nice Seeds with Howard Marks in 1998, he continued working with Haze genetics. One creation was Mango Haze, essentially a sister line to SSH (it’s reported to be NL#5 x Skunk x Haze like SSH, but selected for a fruity mango-like aroma). Mango Haze kept the tradition of ultra-potent sativa effects with a uniquely sweet tropical flavor. It became a favorite among Haze enthusiasts seeking a bit of fruitiness with their incense. Mr. Nice also released Neville’s Haze under their banner (further spreading that almost-pure Haze to growers worldwide).
Neville’s Haze – As mentioned, originally bred by Nevil, this ¾ Haze hybrid was also distributed by Green House in the ’90s and later via Mr. Nice. It gained a reputation as a “one-hit quit” type of strain, not for the casual toker. With flowering times pushing 14 weeks, it never became as commercially widespread, but connoisseurs revered it. A famous anecdote from the 90s: some Coffeeshops in Amsterdam actually took Neville’s Haze off the menu because it was too strong for tourists (legend has it inexperienced smokers would green out from it). True or not, it speaks to Neville’s Haze’s fierce potency and the almost mythical regard Haze-heavy strains had earned.

Green House, for its part, continued developing Haze offshoots into the 2000s (as we’ll see with Super Lemon Haze). But by 2000, the Haze family of strains – Silver Haze, Super Silver Haze, Neville’s Haze, Mango Haze, Jack Herer, etc. – had become world-famous. They collectively demonstrated how a small batch of seeds from Santa Cruz could sire a global lineage of champion strains. Virtually every cannabis cup or competition from the late 80s through 2000 had a Haze hybrid in the winner’s circle. The “Haze craze” had gone international.

The Rise of Modern Hybrids and Haze Descendants (1990s–2010s)

If the ’80s and ’90s established Haze as a breeder’s secret weapon, the 2000s and 2010s propelled Haze hybrids into mainstream pop culture. During this era, strains with Haze heritage became some of the most popular and ubiquitous in the world. Three in particular deserve special focus: Blue Dream, Amnesia Haze, and Super Lemon Haze. Each of these emerged in different corners of the globe, each showcasing a different expression of Haze’s genetic magic, and each achieving commercial success and cultural impact.

Blue Dream – A true West Coast legend, Blue Dream was born in California’s medical cannabis scene around the early 2000s. It is a direct descendant of Haze, created by crossing a selected Haze (thought to be a Super Silver Haze) with DJ Short’s famous Blueberry indica. The result, Blue Dream, combined the sweet berry flavors and relaxing body buzz of Blueberry with the clear-headed cerebral uplift of Haze. It hit that perfect hybrid sweet spot for many users – potent but functional, euphoric yet not jittery – and quickly became a staple strain in dispensaries. By the 2010s, Blue Dream was reportedly the #1 top-selling strain in multiple U.S. states. It grew easily in California’s climate (finishing in ~10 weeks) and produced generous yields, making it a grower favorite as well. Blue Dream’s prominence introduced countless new consumers to Haze genetics (even if they didn’t know it) and solidified the notion that “Haze hybrid = quality sativa experience.” As Leafly succinctly puts it: “Blue Dream is a sativa-dominant hybrid made by crossing Blueberry with Haze”. In other words, without Haze, Blue Dream – a modern icon – would not exist.
Amnesia Haze – In Amsterdam and across Europe, Amnesia Haze became synonymous with top-shelf sativa cannabis in the 2000s. First bred by Soma (Soma’s Sacred Seeds) around 2003, Amnesia Haze was an ultra-complex hybrid drawing from Southeast Asian, Jamaican, Hawaiian sativas, and Afghani genetics. One published lineage lists it as Laotian (Thai) sativa x Jamaican sativa x Afghani-Hawaiian. Essentially, it’s a melting pot of global strains, but at its core is a heavy Haze influence (Thai and other SE Asian strains are Haze’s forebears, and one parent was Neville’s Haze by some accounts). The result was a multiple Cannabis Cup-winning variety that delivered intense, psychedelic euphoria (hence “Amnesia”) along with a somewhat more citrus-mango flavor. Notably, breeders included a touch of Afghani in Amnesia Haze to shorten the flowering; otherwise, its tropical sativa lineage would take forever to finish. Even so, it often needs 11+ weeks. Throughout the 2000s, Amnesia Haze reigned in Dutch coffeeshops, beloved for its trippy potency. It further spread the gospel of Haze to a new generation of smokers, especially in Europe. In fact, a distinct “Amnesia” cut (originating from Hy-Pro seeds) – which was Neville’s Haze x Afghani – also became a coffeeshop staple, often just labeled “Amnesia.” This clone-only strain (sometimes called “Original Amnesia”) was similarly lauded for its devastating high. In short, “Amnesia” became to Amsterdam what “Piff” was to NYC – a buzzword for the best hazy, heady smoke in town.
Super Lemon Haze – On the heels of Green House’s success with Super Silver Haze in the ’90s, owner Arjan continued combining Haze with other terpene-rich strains. His masterpiece of the late 2000s was Super Lemon Haze (SLH), a cross of Lemon Skunk x Super Silver Haze. Introduced by Green House Seeds, SLH went on to win the High Times Cannabis Cup in 2008 and 2009, among other awards. It became renowned for its zesty citrus flavor (courtesy of Lemon Skunk’s lemony terpenes) layered on top of Haze’s incense spice, and an energetic, creative high that could brighten anyone’s day. By fusing the intensely lemony skunk with SSH (which itself was Haze-based), SLH exemplified how far the Haze family had come: from the earthy tropics of Colombian and Thai fields to the refined palate of a lemon candy sativa. SLH’s widespread popularity (it’s still found on shelves across the world) kept Haze in the spotlight into the 2010s. It’s a go-to daytime strain for many, essentially carrying the Haze torch forward with a modern, fruity twist. As one description notes, “Super Lemon Haze… is Lemon Skunk x Super Silver Haze and [a] two-time Cannabis Cup winner”.

Beyond these three, countless other hybrids owe their existence to Haze. To name just a few: G13 Haze, Cannalope Haze, Ghost Train Haze, Liberty Haze, Lemon Haze, Purple Haze (modern hybrid version), Strawberry Haze, Monster* (many seed banks put out their own Haze crosses, often with “Haze” in the name to signify that soaring sativa effect). By the 2010s, “Haze” had become a shorthand for any strain offering an energetic, uplifting buzz, even if not directly descended from the original. Commercial growers would label skunky sativas or Diesel hybrids as “Something Haze” purely for marketing cachet. It speaks to how influential the Haze brand had become.

In parallel, outside of the strain catalogs, clone-only cuts with Haze lineage continued to circulate in regional markets: for instance, the “Cuban Black Haze” in Miami, “Church Haze” in NYC, and various NYC Piff phenotypes. These were often selections of NL#5xHaze or other early Haze hybrids that took on legendary status locally. “Cuban Black Haze” (aka “Black Haze”) is one such cut believed to be a 1980s Haze hybrid that became a staple in Florida’s Cuban-American cannabis scene, known for its dark foliage and church-like incense reek. The fact that these clones have been kept alive for decades is a testament to the enduring appeal of Haze’s unique high.

By 2020, one could reasonably say that Haze had conquered the world – not in pure form, but through its progeny whether a dispensary in California, a coffeeshop in Amsterdam, or a smoke session in New York, the fingerprints of that Santa Cruz pollen chuck could be found in many a jar of top-shelf bud. And yet, even as new hybrids flourished, a parallel effort was underway to preserve and revive the pure Original Haze for future generations, resisting the tide of hybridization.

Preservationists and Pure Haze Revivals

As hybrids proliferated, a subset of breeders and growers – true Haze aficionados – dedicated themselves to keeping the original, unadulterated Haze genetics alive. These preservationists treated Haze like a piece of living history, carefully maintaining old seed lines and clone plants that traced back to the 1970s stock. Thanks to them, pure Haze did not vanish. In the 2000s and 2010s, several notable revival projects emerged:

Oldtimer’s Haze (ACE Seeds): In the early 2000s, a British grower known as Oldtimer shared a cache of vintage Haze seeds (purportedly from California Haze stock of the late 70s) with breeders in Europe. ACE Seeds, a boutique seed company in Spain specializing in landraces, worked with these seeds to reproduce and stabilize what they called “Oldtimer’s Haze.” This line is essentially a direct throwback to Original Haze – 100% sativa, extremely long-flowering, with phenotypes ranging from green to purple, etc. According to ACE (via Mandala Seeds shop), “Oldtimer’s Haze population has been preserved intact until today by Oldtimer, a British breeder, and then reproduced by [ACE] breeders using a wide variety of parental plants”. In other words, they kept as much genetic breadth as possible, avoiding narrowing it. Oldtimer’s Haze became available in regular seed form, allowing hobbyists to experience something close to the 1970s Haze. Grow reports noted the plants matched descriptions of yore – tall vines of thin-leafed “wispy” buds with church incense aroma and a trippy high that ignores tolerance. ACE’s work (along with The Real Seed Company and others distributing similar stock) ensured that pure Haze remained in circulation for those seeking a nostalgic or breeding experience.
Tom Hill Haze: A respected Northern California breeder, Tom Hill, also contributed to Haze preservation. In the 1990s, Tom Hill acquired Original Haze seeds that traced back to Sam the Skunkman’s stock (allegedly via the old Dutch Positronics seed company). He grew and inbred these seeds, selecting for classic Haze traits. By the 2000s, “Tom Hill Haze” was regarded as one of the purest Haze lines available. Growers who obtained Tom’s seeds or cuts found phenos identical to descriptions from the 70s: 4-meter sativa trees with silver-blue narrow leaves, red sap, and incense smells. Tom Hill shared his Haze seeds on forums and through limited releases, effectively handing off the torch to others to continue open pollination. Even today, mentions of “Tom Hill’s Haze” are made with reverence among cultivators. One source notes, “Tom Hill’s Haze was originally sourced from Sam the Skunkman’s stock through Positronics in the mid-1990s,” meaning it’s as legit as it gets. Tom’s line has contributed to modern hybrids as well (e.g., “Mango Haze” by some U.S. breeders refers to a Tom Hill Haze x Mango clone cross).
Authentic Genetics (Todd McCormick & Mel Frank): Perhaps the most exciting recent development in Haze preservation came in the 2020s. Longtime cannabis historian and cultivator Todd McCormick, with mentorship from legendary grower Mel Frank and collaboration from Sam the Skunkman, launched Authentic Genetics (AGSeedCo) to bring old-school genetics back to market. Central to their offerings: Original Haze. Todd reported that he acquired the original 1969 Haze seeds directly from Sam – the very same preserved stock Sam had safeguarded. Sam had maintained these seeds via periodic reproducers (IBLs) since the 70s, never introducing indica blood, so they remained pure. In 2021 and 2022, AGSeedCo began releasing small batches of Original Haze seeds to the public, essentially reintroducing the world to a strain that hadn’t been commercially available in decades (at least not from the true source). Todd wrote in 2025, “Original Haze was first bred in 1969 by G. G. exchanged seeds with Skunkman Sam, who saved the variety and turned the world onto Haze… Sam kept them through IBL breeding since the ’70s to preserve the variety. I got the variety directly from Sam… it contains no Afghan/Indica”. This full-circle moment – from G’s hands to Sam’s vault to Todd’s seed packs – is a triumphant preservation story in cannabis. It means new generations of breeders can access those source genetics to perhaps start the cycle anew.

Other individuals and groups also deserve mention: “The Nature Farm” in Oregon has reportedly worked lines of Original Haze; Underground Seed Collective in Europe did a repro of R.L.’s Haze line; and cultivators like DJ Short (famous for Blueberry) long kept Haze cuts in their gardens for breeding use. The thread connecting them all is a passion for Haze’s singular effects and history. They treat Haze less as a commodity and more as a cultural heirloom.

Cultural Legacy and Colloquial “Haze”

Few strains have a cultural footprint as large as Haze. Beyond its direct genetic contributions, “Haze” became a part of cannabis vocabulary and folklore. By the 2000s, the word “Haze” had transcended the specific strain and was being used to label any energetic, uplifting sativa, even if that strain had no actual Haze genetics. This colloquial use speaks to how strongly Haze embodied the idea of the “ultimate” sativa high.

On the U.S. East Coast, especially in New York City, “Haze” or “Piff” became shorthand for potent, top-shelf bud. In the 1990s and 2000s illicit market, asking for “Piff” meant you wanted the real deal – the kind of hazy, church-incense-smelling, lung-expanding smoke that would leave you energized and stoned silly at the same time. The term “Piff” likely arose in Harlem as slang for the Cuban Black Haze / Uptown Haze that was prevalent there, itself a descendant of Original Haze via Dutch hybrids. People spoke of “Uptowns,” “Puday,” “Church,” “Frankie’s” – all nicknames for certain Haze batches or phenotypes that stood out. “Frankie’s”, for instance, referred to a specific cut known for a frankincense odor (hence the name) and was considered the holy grail of Uptown Haze – “simply the best,” as BigHerb wrote of those who experienced it. Even as late as the 2010s, older New Yorkers would reminisce: “Remember that Piff? That Uptown Haze? Man, nothing compares.” It became part of the regional lore, akin to how people talk about vintage wines or classic albums.

Likewise, on the West Coast, “Haze” signified a certain old-school excellence. Dispensaries in the 215 medical era (2000s) often labeled any strongly cerebral strain as “[Something] Haze” to attract connoisseurs. Sometimes these were authentic Haze crosses; other times, it was more about signaling the effect. The name had power. As one writer quipped, “West Coast stoners remember Haze for [its] pungent, distinct frankincense nose” and electric high. It was the antithesis of “Kush” (which came to symbolize heavy, sedative indicas). If you wanted to stay lifted, creative, and social, you looked for Haze.

The cultural legacy also extends to music and art. The term “Purple Haze,” while originating from Hendrix in 1967, took on new meaning in the cannabis world due to Haze. Countless songs, albums, and pop culture references in the ’90s and ’00s used “Purple Haze” as a double-entendre for potent weed (even when unaware of the strain’s specifics). Rap lyrics mentioned “piff” regularly when referring to high-end weed. Cannabis cups introduced categories specifically for sativas, often dominated by Haze or Haze-hybrids, solidifying that Haze = heady, creative vibes. The psychedelic, happy imagery associated with Haze (think tie-dye colors, surf/skate culture, jam bands) stood in contrast to the “gangsta” image of Kush or the earthy, rustic image of landraces. Haze was surfer meets hippie meets urban poet. It’s quite poetic that the strain itself emerged from a surf town and then became beloved in the hip-hop scene of NYC – truly a full cultural circuit.

Today, 50+ years since its inception, Haze’s legacy is thriving. Legally, licensed producers still grow Haze descendants and even pure Haze (for niche markets) to satisfy consumers seeking that vintage head high. Strain hunters continue to seek out old Haze cuts like one might seek a lost Picasso. The story of Original Haze – two young Californians accidentally creating a masterpiece, three East Coast brothers bringing it to the big city, a seed saver rescuing it from oblivion, and breeders around the world propagating it into innumerable forms – has become one of the great cannabis epics.

In the annals of cannabis, Haze is often mentioned in the same breath as Skunk and Kush as the “Trinity” of foundational strain families. But even among them, Haze holds a special allure. It represents the wild, untamed side of cannabis: the towering equatorial sativas that challenged prohibition-era growers yet rewarded them with transcendental highs. It’s a strain that carries a mystique – one of redwood forests and secret greenhouses, of Hendrix riffs and clandestine posters, of euphoric laughter and endless creativity.

As cannabis continues to evolve in the modern era of legalization and commercialization, Haze stands as a reminder of the plant’s countercultural roots and genetic riches. From Santa Cruz to Amsterdam to the rest of the globe, the Haze story is a testament to passion, preservation, and the pursuit of the ultimate high. Long live the Haze!

Resources

Dinafem Seeds Blog – “History of Cannabis – Chapter 1: California and the First Hybrids.” Describes the multi-lineage origin of Original Haze and Sam the Skunkman’s roledinafem.org dinafem.org.
BigHerb (2011) – “The True Origins of Haze.” Forum post on THCFarmer compiling firsthand accounts from Santa Cruz. Details G’s accidental breeding, four phenotypes, East Coast “Haze Brothers” myth, etcthcfarmer.com thcfarmer.com.
KindPeoples Dispensary Blog – “Cannabis Culture Has Deep Roots in Santa Cruz.” Confirms the Santa Cruz origin by G and R.L., the three New Jersey brothers as the “Haze Brothers,” and Sam’s role in bringing Haze to Amsterdamkindpeoples.com kindpeoples.com.
THCFarmer Forums – Multiple posts by BigHerb and others. Notably details on the Four Haze phenotypes and Haze’s effectsthcfarmer.com thcfarmer.com, as well as clarifying that G/R.L. never called themselves Haze Brosthcfarmer.com and that the NJ trio coined the namethcfarmer.com thcfarmer.com.
Super Sativa Seed Club – “History of SSSC.” Describes how Sam gave original Haze seeds to Karel Schelfhout (SSSC founder) and to Nevil Schoenmakers; Nevil combined 10 Haze seeds from Sam with Afghan seeds to start The Seed Bank, leading to Nevil’s Hazesupersativaseedclub.com supersativaseedclub.com.
Seedfinder.eu – Entry on Silver Haze (Sensi Seeds). Includes Sensi’s description that Silver Haze was the first strain to deliver full Haze effect in compact form, using NL#5 to shorten Hazeseedfinder.eu.
Leafly Strain Database – Jack Herer strain description. Notes Jack Herer was created by crossing a Haze hybrid with Northern Lights #5 and Shiva Skunk (aiming for both cerebral and heavy resin traits)leafly.com.
Soft Secrets Magazine – “Classic Strains: Amnesia Haze” (2014). Provides lineage and history of Amnesia Haze (Soma’s version and Hy-Pro’s version), including its SE Asian, Jamaican, Afghani-Hawaiian makeup and 2003 introductionsoftsecrets.com softsecrets.com.
Leafly Strain Database – Blue Dream entry. Confirms Blue Dream is Blueberry x Haze and describes its balanced highleafly.com.
Leafly Strain Database – Super Lemon Haze entry. Confirms Super Lemon Haze = Lemon Skunk x Super Silver Haze, two-time Cannabis Cup winnerleafly.com.
Mandala/ACE Seeds – Product description for Oldtimer’s Haze. States the Haze population was preserved by a British breeder (“Oldtimer”) and reproduced by ACE, keeping it intact as a pure sativa lineshop.mandalaseeds.com.
Equilibrium Genetics – Tom Hill Haze Collection notes. Confirms Tom Hill’s Haze came from Sam the Skunkman’s stock via Positronics in mid-90seqgenetics.com.
Todd McCormick – “What is Original Haze?” (Authentic Genetics blog, 2025). Recounts that G in 1969 bred Haze, exchanged seeds with Sam; Sam preserved the original combination and kept it pure. Todd obtained these seeds from Sam; no indica content in original Hazeagseedco.com agseedco.com.
Space Coyote Blog – “The History of Haze” (Nick Trautman, 2021). A narrative piece that summarizes the Haze story (Santa Cruz brothers, Sam stabilizing, Neville’s hybrids) and mentions legendary cuts like Cuban Black Haze, NYC Piff (“frankies”) being guarded over yearsspacecoyote.org spacecoyote.org.
BigHerb via THCFarmer – (Additional) On NYC slang: details various nicknames (Uptowns, Piff, Frankies) for Haze in the New York scene and the unparalleled quality of those haze selectionsthcfarmer.com thcfarmer.com.

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