Last verified: April 2026
Definition
Kush (noun or strain-family adjective) names cannabis descended from the landrace varieties grown for centuries in the Hindu Kush — the mountain range spanning eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. Kush strains are typically indica-dominant, sedating, earthy/piney/sometimes hashy in aroma, and short and bushy in plant morphology. Classic descendants include Hindu Kush, OG Kush, Master Kush, and Bubba Kush.
Etymology & Origin
The name is literal geography. Cannabis has been grown in the Hindu Kush region for thousands of years — it is one of the proposed ancestral homes of Cannabis indica in modern taxonomy. American and European growers who traveled to Afghanistan and Pakistan in the 1960s and 1970s hippie trail era brought seeds back to California and the Pacific Northwest. Breeders including Sam the Skunkman and operations like Sacred Seed Co. stabilized early Kush genetics in the 1970s and 1980s.
Kush strains became dominant in West Coast breeding through the 1990s and 2000s, spawning the OG Kush family that now defines much of American commercial genetics. The word “kush” has since been used so loosely that it functions sometimes as a generic stand-in for “cannabis” (especially in hip-hop lyrics), not just for the specific genetic family.
Usage
- “Master Kush is a classic for a reason.”
- “This kush hits in twenty minutes and pins you.”
- “In his lyrics, ‘kush’ is just weed — he’s not specifying a lineage.”
Related Terms
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