There are some strains that are so popular, so prolific, that you can find them anywhere. Jack Herer is one of those strains. From California to Illinois, Michigan to Massachusetts, it’d be hard to walk into a dispensary that didn’t have Jack Herer thanks to how popular this hybrid strain is with cannabis enthusiasts across the country. In this strain spotlight, we’re paying Jack Herer its due and telling you everything you need to know about it.

What is Jack Herer?

Jack Herer, aka The Jack, JH, Premium Jack, or Platinum Jack, is a sativa-dominant strain that was created by Sensi Seeds in the 1990s. While it was born in Amsterdam, Jack Herer was soon distributed as medical marijuana and made its way to the United States where it continued to grow in popularity. There’s no question that it has made an impact across the country—Jack Herer has won nine Cannabis Cups since it first hit the market.

Created by Sensi Seeds, Jack Herer likely comes from a unique cross of three popular strains—Haze, Northern Lights #5, and Shiva Skunk. We say “likely” because Sensi Seeds hasn’t released the exact mix of genetics that created Jack Herer.

At first glance, you might think the strain was named after someone who worked at Sensi Seeds. Actually, Jack Herer was a conservative-turned-prolific marijuana activist who wrote The Emperor Wears No Clothes. He fought for marijuana legalization and worked hard to ensure the public knew the therapeutic benefits of cannabis until his death in 2010. Jack Herer—the strain—pays homage to him.

Given that Jack Herer has a bit of Shiva Skunk in its genetics, you might think it will have a skunky aroma. Instead, Jack Herer smells like a popular cleaning liquid, a mix of citrus and pine. It has just a hint of herbs and flowers in its scent too to give it a unique, pleasant odor.

While Jack Herer doesn’t quite taste like a citrus candy, it does come close. It’s a little sweet and a little sour. It has a little bit of citrus, lemon, and orange to it, and to round it out, there are also floral notes to its flavor that make it taste much different than you might expect a popular sativa hybrid would.

Jack Herer’s popularity lends itself well to being crossed with other popular strains. Here are three of our favorite strains that come from a cross with Jack Herer:

Sativa-Dominant Hybrid

The child of Jack Herer and Skunk #1, this combination created a potent (24% THC) sativa-dominant strain with just a little more indica in it than Jack Herer. J1 also differs from its parent strain in flavor and aroma. It’s sweet (exactly like citrus candy) in flavor, and it has an herbal, dank aroma that’s compared to rosemary. While the J1 strain is popular among recreational consumers and medical marijuana patients, it’s important to take it slow so you aren’t overwhelmed by its potency.

Sativa-Dominant Hybrid

A perfectly balanced hybrid (50% sativa and 50% indica), Apple Jack is the result of Jack Herer being combined with White Widow. You’d think that the fact it has such popular parent strains would make it easy to find, but it isn’t. Still, when it does make it onto the shelves of a dispensary near you, it goes quickly thanks to its sweet flavor and aroma with just a bit of earthy, fruity undertones. While the Apple Jack strain isn’t as potent as other strains on this list, it does still have THC levels at around 20%, so take it easy with this strain.

Sativa-Dominant Hybrid

Also called Lemon Herer, Lemon Jack is another sativa-dominant hybrid strain that comes from a cross of Jack Herer and Lemon Kush. Out of all of the strains on this list, the Lemon Jack strain has the most unique scent—minty, spicy, with just a hint of lemon cream. The flavor is much the same but adds a hint of pine to it as well. While this hybrid is enjoyed for its potency (17% THC), flavor, and aroma, it’s also enjoyed for its long-lasting effects which range between 2-3 hours.

There’s something fascinating about indulging in one of the original hybrids, and because of this, we get a lot of questions about Skunk #1. Here are just a couple of the most common questions and their answers:

Is Jack Herer a sativa or indica?
Jack Herer is a sativa-dominant hybrid strain with 80% sativa and 20% indica.

What flavor is the Jack Herer strain?
Jack Herer’s flavor is a combination of flowery sweetness mixed with sour citrus.

Is Jack Herer strong?
Yes, Jack Herer can be strong. Its THC levels range from 15-24%, meaning you could find varieties of Jack Herer with moderate levels of THC or high THC. Because of this, it’s always good to go in slowly and with a low dose.
 

Purchasing Jack Herer

As we’ve already mentioned, it’s hard to walk into a dispensary that doesn’t have Jack Herer. With that in mind, all you’ll need to do is decide what form of Jack Herer you’d like. Jack Herer can be found in flower, concentrates, and more. Your budtender can help you find all the Jack Herer they have in stock.