2Pac and Weed — West Coast Strains He Knew

2Pac and Weed — What the West Coast Actually Smoked

Tupac Shakur didn't just rap about weed — he lived in an era that shaped modern cannabis culture. When 2Pac was recording at Death Row Records in the mid-90s, the strains available in Los Angeles were nothing like what you'll find in an Amsterdam coffeeshop or smartshop today. There was no Runtz, no Gelato, no lab-tested 30% THC flower. What existed was simpler, rougher, and — if you ask the people who were there — hit differently.

AZARIUS · 2Pac and Weed — What the West Coast Actually Smoked

The West Coast cannabis scene of the 1990s ran on a handful of strains that are now considered classics: OG Kush, Acapulco Gold, Northern Lights, and whatever came through from Mexico and Hawaii. Snoop, Dre, and Pac weren't choosing from a dispensary menu with 50 options. They were smoking what was available — and what was available was already changing everything.

The Strains 2Pac Probably Knew

Nobody can say for certain what specific strains Tupac preferred — he wasn't the type to name-drop cultivars in interviews the way Snoop Dogg or Wiz Khalifa would later. But based on what was circulating in LA between 1991 and 1996, we can narrow it down.

AZARIUS · The Strains 2Pac Probably Knew

OG Kush — the backbone of West Coast weed. It appeared in LA around 1995-96, just as Death Row was at its peak. A Hindu Kush hybrid with a fuel-and-lemon nose that became the genetic foundation for hundreds of modern strains. If Pac smoked anything memorable toward the end of his life, there's a good chance OG Kush was involved. We carry OG Kush seeds from multiple seed banks.

Acapulco Gold — a legendary sativa from Mexico that was everywhere in the US through the '80s and '90s. Golden-orange buds, energetic high, and a reputation that preceded the modern strain era by decades. It's one of those names that appears in hip-hop lyrics across generations.

Northern Lights — originally bred in the Pacific Northwest before making its way to the Netherlands in the mid-'80s. By the '90s it was one of the most widely grown indicas in both Europe and the US. Heavy, sleepy, and a common choice for evening sessions. Northern Lights seeds remain one of our bestsellers at Azarius — 30 years later.

Purple Kush — a California original that crossed Hindu Kush with Purple Afghani. Deep purple buds, grape-and-earth flavour, full-body sedation. This is the strain that launched an entire colour-obsessed generation of growers. It existed in Pac's time, though it became truly widespread in the early 2000s.

90s West Coast Strains at a Glance

What Would Pac Think of Today's Weed?

This question comes up constantly on Reddit — "I wonder what Pac would've thought about the weed we have now" — and it's not hard to understand why. The cannabis Tupac knew tested around 8-15% THC on a good day. A 2020 study published in Biological Psychiatry found that average THC concentrations in the US rose from 4% in 1995 to over 12% by 2014, with many modern strains now exceeding 25-30%. The gap between '90s weed and 2026 weed is roughly the gap between home-brewed beer and craft triple IPAs.

AZARIUS · What Would Pac Think of Today's Weed?

710 Labs — a respected California producer — released a strain called "Tupac Pure Kush" that became a Reddit favourite. It's a nod to the era, not a recreation of anything Pac actually smoked, but it shows how deeply his name is embedded in cannabis culture. Godfather OG, another strain with Death Row era energy, consistently tests above 25% THC and regularly appears in "strongest strain" lists.

Then there's the Outlawz story. After Tupac's death in 1996, his group the Outlawz reportedly mixed some of his cremated ashes with weed and smoked it — a tribute they've confirmed in multiple interviews. It's one of those stories that sounds like internet myth until you hear E.D.I. Mean and Young Noble describe it in their own words. It became one of the most shared cannabis facts on the internet.

Growing the Strains Pac Knew

If you want to grow something connected to the West Coast '90s scene, here's where to start:

AZARIUS · Growing the Strains Pac Knew

• OG Kush — intermediate difficulty. Needs climate control and attention to nutrients. Flowers in 8-9 weeks. The reward is one of the most recognisable flavour profiles in cannabis. Multiple seed banks at Azarius carry it.
• Northern Lights — beginner-friendly. Forgiving of mistakes, compact plant, flowers in 7-8 weeks. This is the strain we recommend to first-time growers who want something with history behind it.
• Purple Kush — intermediate. Needs cooler night temperatures to bring out the purple colour. Slower flowering (9-10 weeks) but the bag appeal is unbeatable.
• Acapulco Gold — harder to find as seed, longer flowering (10-11 weeks), prefers outdoor growing. Worth the effort if you want a genuine vintage experience.

All of these are available as feminised seeds at Azarius. If you're setting up a grow, check our grow tents and lighting too — Pac didn't have LED grow lights, but you do.

Tupac didn't live to see the cannabis industry become what it is now — regulated markets, lab testing, strain genetics mapped like genealogies. But the culture he helped build is the reason half these strains have the names and reputations they do. If you're growing OG Kush in your tent at home, you're carrying on something that started in the same studios and parking lots where Pac recorded All Eyez on Me.

Browse the full seed collection at Azarius. We've been selling seeds from Amsterdam since 1999 — long enough to remember when these strains were still new.

Last updated: April 2026