OG Kush Strain: Origin, Genetics, THC, Taste and Where to Buy

Last updated 6 November 2026 from live stock · By the Bud Cargo team

What is the OG Kush strain?

OG Kush is one of the most influential cannabis strains ever grown, and a parent of many of today’s best-known flowers. Leafly lists its offspring as GSC and Bruce Banner, and the Ontario Cannabis Store adds Pink Kush, Bubba Kush, Headband, MK Ultra and Kosher Kush. If a strain name ends in “OG”, there is a good chance OG Kush is somewhere in its family tree.

The big strain databases agree on its strength and its piney, earthy profile, but not on whether it leans indica or sativa:

A 2019 genetic study of retail cannabis found that products sold under one strain name are often genetically inconsistent (Schwabe and McGlaughlin, Journal of Cannabis Research, 2019). With a strain as old and widely cloned as OG Kush, that matters, so read any single number as a guide rather than a promise.

Where does OG Kush come from?

OG Kush is usually traced to Florida in the early 1990s, though its exact origin is disputed. Leafly’s account is that a Northern California strain was reportedly crossed with Chemdawg, Lemon Thai and a Hindu Kush plant from Amsterdam, and that Matt “Bubba” Berger brought it from Florida to Los Angeles in 1996, where it went to a cultivator known as Josh D. From there it spread across North America.

The Ontario Cannabis Store calls the origin “mysterious” and describes OG Kush simply as a presumed Hindu Kush cross. Hindu Kush is a landrace from the mountain range between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which fits the earthy, hashy base. The Chemdawg side brings the diesel funk; our Chemdawg strain guide covers that parent.

What does OG stand for?

Nobody knows for certain. Leafly gives the two common explanations, “Original Gangster” and “Ocean Grown”, and the Ontario Cannabis Store says many people believe the O simply stands for “original”, because so many later strains descend from it.

Is OG Kush a sativa or indica strain?

OG Kush is a hybrid, and the sources disagree on which way it leans. Leafly files it as a hybrid, the Ontario Cannabis Store calls it indica-dominant, and AllBud lists it as 55% sativa. On Leafly the most reported feelings are hungry, relaxed and sleepy; AllBud’s top effects are giggly, happy, hungry, relaxing, sociable and uplifting. The most reported negatives on Leafly are dry mouth, dry eyes and dizziness.

That spread is typical: the label tells you less than the lot does. Our indica vs sativa vs hybrid guide explains why the categories are a rough guide at best.

Why is OG Kush so strong?

OG Kush is strong because growers have selected it for high THC for about three decades, and it carries almost no CBD. Leafly lists a 25% THC average with 0% CBD, and AllBud gives 20% to 26%. The most potent cuts are the ones that stay in circulation, which is why modern OG Kush is usually sold in the 20s.

If it is new to you, take a small amount and wait before having more. Canada’s Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines recommend choosing lower-THC products where you can and using less often.

What does OG Kush taste and smell like?

OG Kush tastes woody, piney and earthy, with a gassy, lemony edge. Leafly’s top flavours are woody, pine and earthy. AllBud adds citrus, sour and skunk, and the Ontario Cannabis Store describes it as gassy, skunky, spicy and piney with earthy, peppery notes. Our own listing describes it as earthy pine with fuel and lemon.

What terpenes are in OG Kush?

Leafly lists myrcene, limonene and caryophyllene as the top three. Myrcene gives the earthy base, limonene the lemon and caryophyllene the peppery spice. The Ontario Cannabis Store puts pinene first, which fits the strong pine note many people notice; the difference reflects different lots and cuts.

What strains come from OG Kush?

OG Kush is the parent or grandparent of a long list of popular strains. Several of them are in stock at Bud Cargo today:

Bubba Kush and Pink Kush in turn produced Pink Bubba (guide, $55 ounce). Our guide to Kush strains maps the wider family.

Is OG Kush any good?

By the numbers, yes: it is one of the most-rated strains anywhere and still scores well. It averages 4.3 from 5,698 ratings on Leafly and 4.6 on AllBud, and our OG Kush ounce averages 4.63 from 16 customer reviews, the second most-reviewed of our ounce deals. Whether it suits you depends on what you want: it is a heavy, piney, gassy classic rather than a sweet dessert strain.

Where can I buy OG Kush in Canada?

Bud Cargo sells an OG Kush ounce (28 g) for $90, in stock as of 6 November 2026. That is about $3.21 per gram, toward the upper end of our 44 ounce deals ($45 to $110, median $70). It is sold as a full 28 g only; our grams in an ounce guide shows how far an ounce goes, and our AAA vs AAAA grading guide explains our tiers.

For the Chemdawg side of the family in oil form, the So High Chemdawg 5 g vape is $60. For smaller amounts of top-shelf flower, browse our premium flower, sold by the gram and up.

Orders ship across Canada for $25 to BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, $30 to Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada, and $35 to the territories. Shipping is free on orders over $150 (over $250 to the territories). You can pay by Interac e-Transfer or credit card. Bud Cargo is a mail-order dispensary, not a provincially licensed retailer.

Adults may carry up to 30 g of dried cannabis or its equivalent in public under the Cannabis Act, so a single ounce is within the limit.

Frequently asked questions

Sources: Leafly, OG Kush. AllBud, OG Kush. Ontario Cannabis Store, OG Kush strain info. Schwabe and McGlaughlin, Journal of Cannabis Research, 2019. Prices and stock checked on budcargo.net on 6 November 2026.