An assortment of aromas fill the air at the District Cannabis grow facility in Hagerstown, Md. HAGERSTOWN, Md. — Just off the highway and down the road from the sheriff’s office, there’s a large warehouse and greenhouse compound locked behind barbed-wire gates.
If you’re driving by at certain times, you might catch a whiff of what’s inside: Some call it skunky, some call it gassy. It’s the unmistakable smell of weed.
The complex is the grow facility for District Cannabis, which produces 15,000 pounds of cannabis flower each year. "It’s our weed factory — a dream come true," says Andras Kirschner, founder and head grower.
Inside the factory, it’s not all skunk. There’s the earthy smell of plants growing and botanical notes of citrus and lavender. In recent years, that strong signature skunky funk of pot has given way to scent profiles of new cannabis strains that skew toward fruits, fresh herbs and candy.
It’s a trend that has blossomed with the increasing use of cannabis for recreational purposes , says Pamela Dalton , a smell scientist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, a nonprofit research institute that focuses on smell and taste. "People take all sorts of drugs that are unpleasant to taste or smell, but for recreation, you want something pleasurable in all facets," she says. "That’s driving some of the hybridization and evolution [of cannabis] – to make something you like smelling, that’s pleasant and reinforces the ease of relaxation."
At the District Cannabis grow facility, batches of young cannabis plants are grown to maturity, harvested and dried, then processed and packaged for retail sale. Cannabis with hints of cake
On a recent weekday morning, Kirschner gave NPR a tour of the operations. In a warm, humid room, 1,500 cannabis plants were in bloom, giving off a fruity, musky scent.
Kirschner won the 2024 grand champion title in a competition with weed growers from Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia with a strain called Layer Cake. This one, perfuming the indoor grow room, is a cousin named Gelato Cake. Kirschner says, it’s "one of the more popular top-selling strains in the D.C. and […]
Lavender, citrus and candy: weed’s signature aroma changes with the times
