Chemdawg: Cultivar Profile With Sources, Lineage Claims and Lab Data Limits

Chemdawg, also written Chemdog, is the name of a cannabis cultivar (commonly called a strain). Its origin is a popular story told in cannabis media, so this page separates the story from anything documented. It is information only. For how these pages work, see how cultivar profiles work.

Evidence labels used here: marketing claim means a statement from sellers or media without independent testing; insufficient evidence means too little to judge; Proper evidence not found means we looked and found nothing usable.

Identity, aliases and the origin story

A strain encyclopedia says "Chemdog" is the official name and "Chemdawg" the common spelling, and that the cultivar was grown and spread by a breeder known as Chemdog since 1991.[1] Related names that appear in media include Chem 91, Chem's Sister, Chem Dog B and Chem 4.[2][3]

The story, as two media articles tell it, starts at a Grateful Dead concert in Indiana in 1991. Two men sold a flower they called "Dog Bud," a man named Greg bought some, later received more by mail, and found 13 seeds in one bag. Those seeds became the plants later called Chem 91, Chem's Sister and Chem Dog B.[2][3] One article adds that the first meeting happened on June 6, 1991 in Deer Park, Indiana, and that the flower had come from Colorado.[3] The other article gives the venue as "Deep Creek, Indiana."[2] Venue names differ, and the story rests on personal accounts. We found no contemporaneous record, so confidence in the details is "reported."

Chem 4 is described as a later line that began when seeds were returned to one of the original sellers around 2006.[3] This means "Chemdawg" can point to several related cuts, not one fixed plant. See cultivar names, aliases and naming conflicts.

Lineage before the Indiana bag is not documented in the sources we could read. The encyclopedia entry lists descendants, such as OG Kush and Sour Diesel, but those are claims about children and not evidence of parents; see OG Kush and Sour Diesel.

What genetic testing found

A study of dispensary samples used DNA markers on 122 samples from 30 strains in three US states.[4] It included seven samples under variants of the Chemdawg name. Their within-name genetic similarity score was 0.42, in the upper part of the study range, which ran from about minus 0.22 to 0.68, and the authors noted that most strains still contained at least one genetic outlier.[4] In other words, the name was fairly consistent in that set but not guaranteed.

Classification

The encyclopedia calls Chemdawg a hybrid.[1] That is a retail label. Large chemistry work on tested products found commercial labels do not consistently align with measured chemistry.[5] See indica vs sativa vs hybrid.

Cannabinoid dominance: in the one laboratory dataset below, all samples were high-THC (more than 10 percent THC by a lab method; individual results not shown), so Chemdog samples there were THC-dominant.[6]

Appearance

We did not find a readable, non-promotional source with an appearance description, so none is given.

Aroma and measured terpenes

Reported aroma: a distinct diesel-like, pungent and chemical scent.[1] The origin article says the original flower tasted "chemmy," which today people might call diesel or gassy.[3]

Measured data come from one California laboratory dataset of samples a single medical dispensary submitted between February 2015 and February 2016, tested by gas chromatography under the client's cultivar names.[6] For six samples labeled Chemdog (milligrams per gram, mean plus or minus standard deviation), beta-caryophyllene was largest at 6.4 plus or minus 1.8, then limonene at 4.2 plus or minus 1.1, myrcene at 3.0 plus or minus 3.2, humulene at 2.2 plus or minus 0.6, alpha-bisabolol at 1.0 plus or minus 0.3 and linalool at 0.9 plus or minus 0.2.[6] The authors grouped it with caryophyllene-dominant cultivars and reported large variation between Chemdog samples, mainly in myrcene.[6] The very wide spread for myrcene (standard deviation larger than the mean) shows how different batches under one name can be. See beta-caryophyllene.

Potency

Verified batch data was not available, and composition varies. We checked the terpene dataset, the genetic study and the encyclopedia entry; none gave a cannabinoid result tied to a named batch, laboratory and date. Percentages on seller pages are not independent lab findings, so none are repeated. See how to read a cannabis COA.

Reported experiences

The encyclopedia says consumers can expect a cerebral experience with a heavy body feeling and warns that it tends to be potent.[1] This is editorial description and anecdote. It is not controlled research, and a "potent" label has no verified number behind it here.

Research

Proper evidence not found for clinical research on Chemdawg by name. Our literature search for the names with cannabis and trial terms found nothing. General pages such as THC do not validate this cultivar.

Safety

Cannabis can cause altered time perception and impaired thinking, memory and movement. Anxiety, panic or hallucinations are more likely with large amounts, strong products or little experience.[7] See impairment and driving and anxiety, panic and paranoia. In the US, call 911 in an emergency or Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222. Laws differ and change; see cannabis laws by country. This is not legal or medical advice.