Opinion: Jack Herer (the cannabis strain) is overrated

Jack Herer is one of the most well-known men—and cannabis strains—in the whole wide world of weed. The man, for those unfamiliar, is a famed cannabis activist who authored The Emperor Wears No Clothes, a comprehensive book on cannabis and hemp, and the various uses and benefits of them. This article is not about him. Jack Herer the strain is a sativa-dominant cultivar created by crossing a Haze hybrid with Northern Lights #5 and Shiva Skunk. The strain is THC-dominant, and terpene-wise, it mainly has terpinolene, caryophyllene, and pinene. These terps push fresh pine and black pepper flavors, reminiscent of many Haze-influenced cannabis strains.

For some people, this famous strain is exactly what they want from cannabis. For others, like me, absolutely none of this is appealing. I’ll tell you why.

The flavor tastes like bad breath

When it comes to cannabis, I’m very much aware of how individualistic all of our experiences are. I know that some of us like sweet strains, some of us like fruity strains, and some of us like strains like Jack Herer that taste of earth and black peppery spice.

I enjoy the first two, but that earthy flavor of cannabis is absolutely disgusting. Sure, most cultivars producing these terpenes are powerful and get you stoney baloney, but if you don’t enjoy the smell or taste of your buds, you definitely will not enjoy the complete experience. When I smoke Jack, regardless of grower or phenotype, the flavor simply tastes like dirty air that makes me think, “Oh yeah, my breath is going to smell terrible after this.” And that’s on both the inhale and exhale.

The high is sooooo blah

Have you ever smoked a strain that was potent, but the high was so heady that you never actually felt stoned, you just felt like your head was on fire and you couldn’t wait for it to end? That’s what Jack Herer did to ya boy on July 16, 2017. It’s said that Jack Herer gives consumers a boost of cerebral stimulation, resulting in a clear-headed and blissful experience. My experience was anything but clear-headed or blissful. I smoked a joint of this strain before a flight and after an entire gram of rolled flower, I felt like my mind was all cloudy and bogged down, while also feeling super duper alert, to the point where I got anxious and sweaty. If that type of high sounds appealing to you, then yeah, grab this hazy cannabis strain and catch your thrills. But if you’re like me and prefer to be high and happy, then do yourself a favor: Be wary of Jack Herer genetics.

Jack Herer is a terrible teammate

Speaking of Jack Herer genetics, there are plenty of popular Jack-crossed strains that I’ve tried since my first Jack experience, and guess what? They either hit the same, or they dilute the effects from the strain(s) in the cross, because those Haze genetics are so dominant and overpowering. So if you’re smoking something crossed with Jack, you might as well just get the original, because chances are this parent will shine through. A perfect example of this is Candy Jack. It crosses Skunk #1 with Jack Herer, and even though the Skunk genetics win the aroma and flavor side of things, those effects are still dominated by Jack’s presence. As you can see, Jack is a ball hog that thinks there’s an I in TEAM. Even though Jack Herer boasts a very strong 4.4 star rating on Leafly, it is a very overrated cannabis strain.