Last updated on September 21, 2026 · Originally published April 27, 2022
Frenchy Cannoli (1956-2021), the master hashishin, was a strong advocate and enthusiast of cannabis terroir. It is rumored that the concept of terroir was publicized by French winemakers in the mid-20th century who wanted to wane off competition from the emerging wine industry in California. Consequently, the Frenchmen “created the idea” that their wine was special merely because of the geographical characteristics (terroir) of the region where it was produced. You could “taste the place.” Is terroir a reality and what does scientific literature have to say about its relevance?
How Relevant Is Terroir for Cannabinoid-Based Therapies?
An article published in GeoJournal analyzed cannabis terroir and its relevance in medical cannabis using secondary sources as well as primary research. [1] Several things were highlighted in this extensive paper.
What Is a Cannabis Terroir?
Terroir is a French term that vaguely means administrative or territorial land. It has evolved over time to mean the whole environment in which a plant is cultivated. This includes the soil type, microbial life, climatic conditions, and presence of contaminants. Cannabis terroir, therefore, refers to how all these factors relate to the cannabis plant. The terroir is believed to affect the quality of the plant in terms of appearance, flavor, aroma, and potency.
How Much Does Place Actually Change the Plant?
It is worth being honest about the limits. A cultivar’s basic chemistry, whether it leans THC-rich or CBD-rich and which terpenes dominate, is set largely by genetics; surveys that compare hundreds of differently named strains keep collapsing them into only a few underlying chemotypes. Terroir works within those genetic limits rather than around them. But its influence is real. When researchers grew industrial hemp on abandoned mine soil, the plants both drew heavy metals out of the ground and shifted their cannabinoid output, producing more CBD under the stress. [4] That cuts both ways: cannabis is an efficient accumulator of whatever surrounds its roots, cadmium and lead included, which is why the same ground that gives a plant its character can also load it with contaminants a lab has to screen for. Where a plant grows ends up inside it.
Landrace Versus Terroir
Some sources use terroir and landrace interchangeably. Though they are not one and the same, they are closely related. A terroir implies the natural and cultural environments of a given cultivar, while a landrace refers to a plant or animal species that has adapted to its culture and environment (domesticated) over time. A terroir is an expression of how the external factors affect the genotype and phenotype of cannabis, and specifically landrace cultivars. Landraces are known to have a high tolerance capacity for biotic and abiotic stressors and hence have yield stability. [2] At the end of the day, both terroirs and landraces are intertwined in geographical and historical significance. Unfortunately, landraces and terroirs are under threat of extinction due to war, neglect, repression (forced eradication), and the agricultural model of legalization.
The paper points to an emerging line of inquiry rather than a settled one. Geologist John Bershaw of Portland State University has proposed testing whether soil chemistry directly shapes a cannabis plant’s cannabinoid, terpene, and macronutrient content, noting in his own words that the scientific basis for what makes Oregon or California cannabis distinctive “does not yet exist.” It is a hypothesis worth watching, not yet a proven mechanism.
A good application of terroir in cannabis is Moroccan hashish. What unique qualities are expected of hashish that comes from Morocco? From the paper, it appears that Moroccan soil has a big influence on the aroma and flavor of the hashish. Interestingly, wines made from similar soils had similar flavors despite vast geographical differences compared to wines that were grown closer together, but in different soils.
After a review of the literature, the article’s author concludes that terroir has a central place in conserving the biological and cultural qualities of cannabis because it encourages low-input and low-carbon farming, makes small-scale farming more economically feasible, and values and pays homage to tradition and to one’s locale. The article also highlighted the significance of terroir as a means to “preserve the livelihoods of some of the world’s poorest farmers.” [1]
Can Terroir Be Protected? Cannabis Appellations of Origin
If terroir is real, it can also be defended in law, and that is where the importance of cannabis terroir becomes concrete. California’s Senate Bill 67, signed in 2020, directed the state’s Department of Food and Agriculture to build an appellations-of-origin program modeled on wine. [3] To carry an appellation, cannabis must be grown in the ground, within a defined geographic area, under natural light, with no greenhouses and no artificial lighting in the canopy. In other words, the law writes terroir into the definition: an appellation means the place did the work, not the equipment. It is the clearest sign yet that the industry treats “taste the place” as more than a marketing line.
References
- Chouvy PA. Why the concept of terroir matters for drug cannabis production. GeoJournal. 2023;88:89–106. doi:10.1007/s10708-022-10591-x
- Casañas F, Simó J, Casals J, Prohens J. Toward an Evolved Concept of Landrace. Front Plant Sci. 2017;8:145. doi:10.3389/fpls.2017.00145
- California Senate Bill 67 (2020); California Department of Food and Agriculture, Cannabis Appellations Program.
- Husain R, Weeden H, Bogush D, Deguchi M, Soliman M, Potlakayala S, Katam R, Goldman S, Rudrabhatla S. Enhanced tolerance of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) plants on abandoned mine land soil leads to overexpression of cannabinoids. PLoS ONE. 2019;14(8):e0221570. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0221570
Last updated September 2026 · Originally published April 27, 2022.
Scientifically reviewed by Chana Frenkel, Ph.D.
