Strains & products

Works of fire: 9 scorcher cannabis strains of July 4, 2022

Published on June 28, 2022 · Last updated August 23, 2022
best 9 strains for fourth of July
Coast to coast, these buds are hot! (Leafly)

Fact: Americans enjoy more weed freedom and variety than any people in the history of the Earth. Our global competitors? Crazy backward about the pot. 

Ganja’s a $25 billion legal industry and the country’s 5th largest cash crop, with 19 rec legalization states and more on the way. The California market alone boasts a mind-boggling 39,000 types of products. This July, newly legal New Yorkers will put smoke in the air. Floridians can hit a medical dispensary. Legalization polls better than any party or politician, because freedom effing rules.

Put down those M-80s and pick up some zaza—here’s 9 scorching weed strains of Independence Day 2022.

Red Velvet

Red Velvet. Indica hybrid. (David Downs/Leafly)
Red Velvet. Indica hybrid. (David Downs/Leafly)

We gotta start with the colors. When I think of a hot ‘red’ strain in summer 2022 that’s actually on the market, my mind goes to Red Velvet. Lemon Cherry Gelato to Pina Acai is pretty on-trend, and top Oakland growers Grandiflora claim it. Our Sunset Connect brand bag had a red hot cinnamon smell to it. There’s a lot of room for more red strains besides Red Dragon and Red Congo.

White Runtz

Sheesh! Umma Sonoma White Runtz. (Courtesy Ummas Sonoma)
Umma Sonoma White Runtz. Indica hybrid effects pair with channel surfing. (Courtesy Ummas Sonoma)

Sheesh, UMMA Sonoma has the world’s best version of White Runtz, one of July’s most hyped strains. Just look at it—it’s literally white with trichomes. As if Runtz wasn’t blingy enough, White Runtz gets even icier than Runtz, which is Zkittlez x Gelato. That means tropical berry syrup over ice cream cookie smells—and yes, weed can do that. Umma grows for the best breeders and brands in the world, including Compound Genetics.

Blue Power

Blue Power cross Apples & Bananas. (David Downs/Leafly)
Blue Power cross Apples & Bananas. Intense indica. (David Downs/Leafly)

Shout out one of Las Vegas’ most impactful creations, Blue Power—powering today’s top flavors like Apples and Bananas from Cookies and Compound Genetics. Sin City Seeds’ Blue Power (Power x White Moonshine) has at least 43 direct offspring, and has spawned nine generations of strains: SinMint Cookies, Animal Mints, Kush Mints, Animal Face, Mint Chocolate Chip and on and on. Put some respect on Sin City’s name.

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See also: Fig Farms Blue Face (‘blue’ pheno of Animal Face)

GMO Rootbeer

GMO Rootbeer in the wild. Grown by Snowtill. Indica hybrid. (David Downs/Leafly)
GMO Rootbeer in the wild. Grown by Snowtill. Indica hybrid. (David Downs/Leafly)

We spotted legit root beer-smelling weed in the wild for July 4—the mythical GMO Rootbeer strain. It’s like GMO lent all of its loudness to some root beer terps. Crazy high in THC and sets you down, of course. GMO x Rootbeer is reportedly a project of breeders Skunktek, and Mean Gene from Mendocino (aka Freeborn Selections). It’s been closely held, but it seems ready for a national debut. Root beer remains hella American for the 4th.

See also: Archive Portland MoonBeam, which combines YuckMouth (GMO x Dosidos) x MoonBow.

Miami Punch

Miami Punch. Sativa. (Courtesy Revolution, IL)
Miami Punch. Sativa. (Courtesy Revolution, IL)

Time to get sweaty. Chicago-based Revolution out in the midwest serves up Miami Punch this July 4th—a crowd-pleasing mix of Florida Orange x Purple Punch. The tropical, cream-cake taste precedes energizing, sativa hybrid effects. Terp heads will note the terpinolene, ocimene, and limonene leading the pack. 

Spritzer

Weed that smells like root beer, creamsicles, cake, candy, or permanent markers? All in style for Independence Day 2022. Above, Cannarado Spritzer. (David Downs/Leafly)
Cannarado’s Spritzer gives us life. (David Downs/Leafly)

It’s really important to stay hydrated over the long 4th of July weekend, and that includes periodic hits of Spritzer. The Colorado breeder Cannarado combines Runtz, Grape Pie, and MAC—pretty much all the great stuff right now. Peel back layers of candied gas, sugary cereal, and bubblegum funk; the olfactory kaleidoscope never stops turning. This is what even the most the jaded industry folks get excited to smoke. 

Jack Herer

Freedom fighter: Jack Herer. (Courtesy Rythm, IL)
Freedom fighter: Jack Herer. (Courtesy Rythm, IL)

Illinois, the land of Lincoln, cruises into summer number three of legalization with a classic: Rythm’s award-winning sativa staple Jack Herer. July 4th and the fight for independence lives in every puff of the sweet, energy strain. Activist Jack Herer envisioned radical pot freedom blooming across the land. Dare to dream just as big. 

Landslide #4

The Hunt is over: Landslide #4. (Courtesy Freddys Fuego)
The Hunt is over: Landslide #4. (Courtesy Freddys Fuego)

Washington fire flower growers Freddy’s Fuego democratized exotic pot selection with The Hunt—a collection of fresh flavors smokers can buy and vote on this July. We’re shamelessly lobbying for Landslide #4, a canny cross of Lava Cake x Fleetwood MAC bred by Lit Farms. We voted it terpiest of the bunch during a June field trip. It’s got bright, intense Cake and MAC terps that just sweep you away; probably from the Melonade parentage. Put on some Stevie Nicks and vibe.

See also: Item #9 by Colorado’s Veritas (Kush Mints x Wedding Cake)

Permanent Marker

Doja Pak's Permanent Marker makes its mark. (Courtesy Doja Pak)
Doja Pak’s Permanent Marker makes its mark. (Courtesy Doja Pak)

The writing’s on the wall—Los Angeles indie brand Doja Exclusive dropped Permanent Marker in June on both coasts. Bred and grown by Seed Junky Genetics’ JBeezy and selected by Doja Pak, the strain fuses several well-established cultivars: Biscotti x Jealousy x Sherb Bx. Floral, soapy, candy, and gassy funk smells fully translate into the taste. It has a lingering pungent flavor of a soapy funk with a hint of candy and floral gas tones. The potent strain brings out creativity for daytime relaxation, followed up by the munchies and the urge to roll up some more.


OK, we got an SUV to pack with camping gear, so we’re stopping at these nine. But rest assured, the country is blooming with fragrant, fresh, freedom-blessed trees. So light one up, and take a breath—because far more work on America awaits.

LA freelancer Dan Wilson contributed to this story.

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David Downs
David Downs
Leafly Senior Editor David Downs is the former Cannabis Editor of the San Francisco Chronicle. He's appeared on The Today Show, and written for Scientific American, The New York Times, WIRED, Rolling Stone, The Onion A/V Club, High Times, and many more outlets. He is a 2023 judge for The Emerald Cup, and has covered weed since 2009.
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