It was in the 1970s that Thai Thai Stick weed began to grow in popularity. These skewers of awesomeness are made from a landrace strain that comes from Thailand. In the case of the Thai landrace strain (and, therefore, Thai Sticks) you'll be working with a pure Sativa. Landrace strains come from all over and will always be either a pure Sativa or pure Indica: these strains are the roots of any modern strain today. Even though genetics have since been manipulated and landrace strains are no longer considered all that potent, they should be an important part of any toker's foundational knowledge.

This article will cover both how to make a Thai Stick weed and we will dive into the landrace strain that goes inside it. So, buckle up and let's get started!

What is Thai Stick?

Thai sticks have many different names including Thai Bud, Thai Orange, and many more. Thai sticks have two different meanings: it is the Thai Sativa landrace strain which has been dried and skewed onto sticks; and it could also refer to these sticks, but ones that have been dipped in opium, making an opium weed strain. Obviously, these are completely different things, and, if you smoked a Thai stick back in the day, you may have been smoking opium as well as a weed. These were the basis for things like Tarantula joints, which are becoming more prevalent in LA dispensaries as well as elsewhere. What is a tarantula joint you ask? It’s a premium bud blunt that has been dipped in hash oil and then rolled in kief. This is a similar concept to the Thai stick, but they are definitely not the same thing. Both of these hybrids (Thai sticks and Tarantula blunts) actually smoke incredibly harshly, and they get you very, very stoned.

How to make a Thai stick?

Making Thai Sticks isn't necessarily complicated, but it does take time. The entire process can take up to a week, so be patient! Also, we’re only going to talk about Thai sticks without opium because we are a weed site, not the site of a drug.

To make a Thai stick you should follow this step-by-step guide on how to make them:

1. Find some buds, preferably they should not be dense.
2. Take a stick (in Thailand they normally use bamboo skewers), coat the stick with either sugary water or hash oil, depending on what you prefer. This is to make it sticky.
3. Press or bind the buds onto the skewer by pushing them on, and then wrap them up with a hemp string. Try to ensure that the buds are tight, without making them too tight.
4. Freeze or refrigerate your Thai sticks; wrap them up in cannabis leaves or in paper to stop them from sticking to the fridge or freezer.
5. Wait for 1-2 days. If you freeze them, you will have to wait for them to thaw before smoking.
6. Take the hemp line from the stick and your buds should stick to the skewer. If they don’t stick to the skewer, you’ve done something incorrectly.
7. Wrap the buds in cannabis leaves. These are your smoking papers and will taste a lot nicer than your smoking papers. You can also cover everything in hash oil if you want, as this will help it stick and make it stronger.
8. Place your stick back into the fridge for another day or so, covering it in more leaves.
   
9. Once you've got the right amount of buds on the stick, place the Thai Stick onto a pan for a few seconds to help further bind the leaves to the stick. You should separate the pan and the leaves with something like paper.
10. After you’ve completed this final step, you should be ready to smoke it. However, it’s best to let the whole thing sit for a while. The longer you let the stick and herbs cure, the better the flavor will be in the end.

Marijuana in Thailand

Break me off a piece of that! Photo: @kevincc420

This is a very interesting topic for a few reasons. Cannabis smuggling is extremely illegal, and, as most people know, smugglers pay the worst price possible if they’re caught. The death penalty is in effect in most of the countries in this area for smugglers. However, what makes cannabis in Thailand particularly interesting is that for most Thailanders, cannabis is actually a herb used in cooking. It’s a flavor enhancer, like any of the herbs we may think of, like basil. Personal use of cannabis isn’t that strongly criminalized; it’s mainly drug smugglers who are targeted. This is very interesting, because most people simply think that in Thailand cannabis is massively illegal, and you will get the death penalty for even small amounts. However, it's not recommended to smoke in a country like Thailand, because they sometimes go after foreigners specifically. This is because they know many foreigners aren't familiar with the laws, and this can cause huge problems for some people. It’s best to leave your smoking at home, and just enjoy the legendary sceneries of Thailand.

Flavored Thai sticks

You can also flavor your Thai Sticks if you want. The way to do this is quite complicated, but it is worth it if you do it right. During the distillation process of making pure concentrates, the terpenes are separated from the plant matter. The terpenes can be put in oil, and then, instead of using hash oil, you can use flavored terpene oil. If you use a strain that has the cherry terpene in it, you can make your Thai Sticks cherry flavored. The same is true of chocolate. Limonene (the terpene found in both lemon and strains such as Lemon OG) is probably your best bet, as this has an amazing flavor.

Taking the time to add terpene flavor is definitely worth it if you do it correctly, as normal Thai sticks are actually fairly harsh to smoke. This is because you are wrapping a landrace strain in cannabis leaves, and cannabis leaves don’t really smoke that well. By adding some flavor, you will be able to appreciate your Thai Sticks a lot more. If you use both hash oil and terpene oil, you will also have an incredibly potent Thai Stick, which will leave you feeling completely wrecked.

Such a peaceful setting! Photo: @bilvaelemental

Thai landrace Strain: Indica or Sativa?

So, now that we have covered what a Thai stick is, let’s talk about the Thai landrace strain. The Thai landrace strain is a pure Sativa strain. This is the best thing about landrace strains. Smoking a landrace strain is like the difference between eating processed food and natural food. Landrace strains are what weed should be, but as humans we always like to experiment. The Thai strain gave rise to many classics, but, in particular, it is the father of the Haze strains, which were some of the most popular strains from the 1990\'s onward. Even today, when you go into a coffee shop in Amsterdam, they sometimes separate their haze strains from other strains, because of their popularity. These are actually often more expensive as well. The chance of you finding the Thai landrace strain in either a coffee shop or a dispensary is fairly low, as landrace strains aren’t that popular anymore. If we had to guess though, we would say that they will definitely make a come back in the future!

Thai landrace genetics 

The Thai Landrace strain growing strong. Photo: @oldheadtoddgenetics

As a landrace strain, this strain has no parents. It comes from a hot country, which is your clue that it will be a Sativa. In general, hot countries produce Sativa landrace strains, whereas colder climates normally produce indica landrace strains. It was brought to the US in the 1970s, where, at that time, it was most likely the strongest strain of cannabis available. It is said that it was brought to the US during the Vietnam war from Southeast Asia. This is an incredibly interesting part of cannabis history, as it was the beginning of the cannabis revolution that we benefit from today. All of the dankenstein strains that exist - the crazy crosses between so many different strains - all started with the landrace strains.

Thai Stick THC percentage

A Thai Stick should have a higher THC percentage because it is normally covered in hash oil. Hash oil is incredibly potent and therefore increases the THC percentage by a lot. However, Thai (as in the landrace strain) has a pretty high THC percentage, considering it’s from such a long time ago. The average Sativa strain these days contains around 13% THC, whereas the average of Thai is about 12%. If the grower is a good grower and knows what they are doing, sometimes Thai can measure at up to 22%. It is highly likely that the way Haze was made in the first place was by crossing the strongest phenotypes from four different sativas: South American, Thai, Mexican, and South Indian. If you look at all of these countries, you will notice that they are all warm-weathered climates, and are, therefore, all sativas.

Thai Bud price 

Shiny green flower growing strong! Photo: @greengrassconnection

The price of the Thai sativa landrace strain is very low. That is because it’s considered by many to be ditch weed. This is frustrating, as the landrace strains are probably much better for you than the 40% THC strains we see coming to market these days. The reality is that those stoners who dab 90% concentrates all day and hit pre-filled vape cartridge with 90% THC inside won't feel high from Thai. For those with lower tolerance levels though, Thai will get you just as high as our 90% friend aforementioned. For example, a new user to cannabis who takes a bong hit from Thai will feel as high as a seasoned stoner smoking something like Ghost OG. If you do find the Thai landrace strain in a coffeeshop, it’ll likely cost you around $7 a gram, or less. The chances of finding it in a dispensary are very low, but not impossible. Those sellers who are trying to help customers by stocking medicinal weed will likely stock this strain at a very low price.

Thai landrace taste

Landrace strains have a surprisingly good taste. Some landraces are pretty fruity, but Thai has an earthy taste. Some people don't love the earthy taste of Thai, which perpetuates the opinion that landraces like Thai are ditch weed. If you’re only smoking weed for the taste and the potency, then Thai probably isn’t for you. You can do things to improve the taste: as mentioned before you can cover your Thai sticks in terpene oil. You can also purchase a flower vaporizer. Flower vapes have many great advantages, the main ones being:

• Discreet, portable, and hardly any smell. The smell that does occur leaves much quicker than normal weed smoke.
• The flavor is much better inside a flower vape because there’s no combustion of plant material or paper
• Smoking a flower vape is much healthier because when you smoke a joint it produces harmful chemicals
• You can recycle your marijuana. Already vaped bud is perfectly decarboxylated cannabis, and can be used to easily make edibles

Thai landrace Strain oil, wax, shatter, edibles, etc.

Normally the characteristics that concentrate makers look for to turn their herbs into concentrates are potency and trichomes. While Thai doesn’t have a lot of trichomes, its potency is pretty high. One of the primary advantages of the Thai strain is that it’s very cheap. The seeds can also be bought from many different seed sellers online, and landrace strains are traditionally very easy to grow. This makes it a good choice to make into concentrates, as you get around 1/10th of the weight in plant matter. Thus, if you have a cheap, easy to grow strain, you can easily make enough concentrates to go around. Many dispensaries sell concentrates from the Thai strain, although not many stocks the actual plant matter. Be careful if you attempt to make Butane Hash oil yourself, as it can be very dangerous.

Edibles are much easier to make yourself, as you simply need to decarboxylate your cannabis first. Before you do this, you should definitely grind your weed up. This makes it a lot easier to then mix into something later. The two golden rules of making edibles are: decarboxylate your weed and then mix the decarbed weed with either a fat or oil. After you’ve done this, you will have an exceptionally potent mixture of weed. You can then bake this mix into anything. The final method of making edibles, which we highly recommend, is using already vaped bud. Already vaped bud is perfectly described weed, and you can simply sprinkle a small amount of it onto some freshly buttered toast, eat it, and two hours later you’ll feel incredibly stoned.

 Cannagar selection. Which would you choose? Photo: @purplerosesupply_

Easy to get a grip when that grip includes thai sticks like these!  Photo: @purplerosesupply_

 
If you’re a brand new stoner and you take a bong hit of Thai, you may feel slightly overwhelmed. This can cause anxiety and nausea, and in some rare cases you may feel like you’re dying. You’re not dying, but if you do feel too stoned, just take a cold shower, and you should feel better afterward. Sativas, especially pure sativas, are great stress busters and they have also been known to treat depression for some people. This is not for everyone. Some people may require a stronger dose of THC in order to treat their depression, and some people may not react well to cannabis at all. Don’t just believe that it will treat your depression, as depression is incredibly complicated and hard to treat illness. Just experiment, and if it’s not for you, it’s not for you.

If you do feel overwhelmed after smoking any strain, we have a guide to feeling less stoned or high: 

• Take a cold shower
• Drink a coffee
• Go for a run or go for a swim (don’t go swimming if you’re too stoned after showering)
• If you don’t fancy going for a run, take some time for yourself. Relax, put some classical music on. In fact, here’s "Nocturne" by Chopin!

Thai landrace Strain flowering time

Thai is a truly fantastic strain to grow, but it does take a long time to be ready to harvest. It can be ready in 9, but can take up to 11 weeks. The longer you leave it, the higher the potency. Taste is unlikely to be affected by the amount of time you let it grow.

Thai landrace Strain growing tips

Indoor Thai grows can be very difficult because it can grow up to 15 feet tall. This can definitely make life complicated, so it’s highly recommended that you take the seeds outside to grow. However, if you have a large grow operation inside a tall greenhouse, then you’re probably not going to find a much better strain to grow en masse than the Thai landrace strain. You’re going to struggle to grow this strain outside unless you’re living in a country with a similar climate to Thailand, which is very hot.

Thai landrace Strain seeds

Thai is available from many different sellers. This is because it’s a very old strain, and it’s a very well-known strain which many people have had access to for a long time. You can find the seeds very easily online.

Thai landrace Strain yield

The yield of Thai is solid, sitting at around 2 ounces per foot squared. This is good for a sativa, and it can be increased with good growing practices. You can easily grow multiple plants, so the yield can be even higher.

Ready to light up? Photo: @thaigerthaisticks

What is the Thai landrace strain?

The Thai landrace strain is a sativa that gave rise to some of the most well-known hybrids of today. It was potent for its time and is still considered fairly potent for newer users. It was brought to the United States (probably during the Vietnam War) in the 1970s. It is the parent of strains such as Haze and AK-47. Thai has a good yield, and it’s easy to grow if you have the right climate or if you have a tall enough place to grow it indoors. The seeds are readily available online, adding to the ease of growing Thai at home.

Thai is also used to make Thai Sticks, which are essentially the Thai landrace strain on a stick. These Thai Sticks were traditionally dipped in opium, but many stoners have replaced opium with more flavourful terpene juice and hash oil. Thai Sticks are then wrapped in cannabis leaves and smoked like a blunt. These are pretty rare to find these days, but Thai sticks were all the rage in the 1970s and the 1980s.

• Thai sticks are made from the Thai landrace strain
• The Thai landrace strain averages about 15% THC
• The seeds are easily found online
• Thai gave rise to many very popular strains, especially Haze
• Came to the US in the 1970s or 1980s
• Was one of the strongest strains available at the time
• Earthy taste that can be improved inside a flower vaporiser

Have questions? Comments? Your own tips on how to make a Thai Stick? Drop us a comment below!

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Written by Megan Medeiros (BA)

Megan Medeiros has a bachelor’s degree in English and is currently working on a master’s in English at James Madison University. She's the owner and operator of Medeiros Writing, and has been working as a cannabis writer for the past three years, mostly following the legal climate of marijuana, especially in areas like California, Colorado, Oregon, Canada, and other legal areas.

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