Amnesia Haze: Origins, Lineage and Aroma of a Classic Strain

Last updated October 2026.

Amnesia Haze is one of the most famous names to come out of the Amsterdam coffee shop scene. This profile sets out what reputable seed banks, strain databases and interviews actually report about where it came from, how it is classified and how its aroma is described. Where the sources disagree, we say so.

Where Amnesia Haze comes from

Amnesia Haze is most widely credited to Soma, the founder of Soma Seeds in Amsterdam. In an interview published by Fat Nugs Magazine, Soma dates the first Amnesia Haze to 2003 and says it took two or three years of trying different crosses before he settled on the plant he wanted.

The strain made its name in competition. Leafly and Fat Nugs both report a first place at the High Times Cannabis Cup in 2004. Seedfinder, a long-running strain database, lists two further first places credited to Soma Seeds: the IC 420 Growers Cup in 2005 (sativa category) and the High Times Cannabis Cup Sativa Cup in 2012.

Lineage: what the sources say

The exact breeding recipe has never been published in full, and the accounts differ in detail:

• Soma Seeds (breeder description on Seedfinder): Afghani Hawaiian, South East Asian and Jamaican genetics.
• Seedfinder genealogy: Afghani Hawaiian crossed with Laos and Jamaica lines.
• Leafly: genetics traced back to South Asian and Jamaican landrace strains, with Haze and Afghani listed as parents.
• Fat Nugs interview: Soma says his starting point was clones of Neville’s Haze given to him by the breeder Nevil Schoenmakers, along with an Afghani Hawaiian he had brought from America. Other plants in his garden at the time included Super Silver Haze, Big Skunk Korean and Skunk #1.

The common thread is a Haze-based, sativa-leaning plant with some Afghan and Hawaiian input. Some articles list a longer set of ancestors, but we could not confirm those in any primary source, so they are not included here.

It is also worth knowing that many seed companies now sell their own version under the Amnesia name. These are separate selections, and they will not all share Soma’s genetics.

Type, aroma and reputation

Type and growing character

Soma Seeds’ own listing on Seedfinder describes Amnesia Haze as 80% sativa and 20% indica, with a flowering time of about 12 weeks (roughly 84 days) indoors. Leafly classifies it simply as a sativa. That long flowering period is typical of Haze-family plants.

Labels like “sativa” are a useful shorthand for growers, but researchers at Wageningen University found that they do not reliably predict a plant’s genetics or chemistry. In practice, the label tells you less about a product than its lab report does.

Aroma and flavour

This is where the sources agree most closely. Leafly describes earthy flavours of lemon and citrus, and tags the strain with citrus, lemon and lime. Seedfinder users report diesel, lime and lemon aromas.

On terpenes, Leafly lists myrcene as the most abundant, followed by caryophyllene and limonene. Myrcene is the most common terpene in cannabis and has an earthy scent. Terpene levels vary from batch to batch, so the only reliable way to know the profile of a particular product is a lab report.

How it is commonly described

Strain databases commonly describe Amnesia Haze as a sativa-style variety, and its reputation rests largely on its cup wins and its long history in Amsterdam. These descriptions come from user reports and marketing, not clinical research.

If you have a health question, the right person to ask is a Thai-licensed medical practitioner.

Reading a label for any Haze-type product

Strain names are not regulated. The Wageningen researchers found that samples sold under the same name can be as genetically different as samples with different names, so read any strain profile, including this one, as background rather than a guarantee of what is in a jar.

Because the name alone tells you little, look at the evidence behind a product:

• Certificate of analysis: a CoA for the batch, showing THC, CBD and, ideally, terpenes.
• Batch number: a batch number on the label that matches the CoA.
• Origin: information about where it was grown, such as a GACP-certified Thai farm.

Our page on what GACP and CoA mean walks through each of these.

A note on Thai law

Since June 2025, cannabis flower in Thailand has been a controlled herb. Licensed shops may only supply it to adults aged 20 or over who hold a prescription or medical certificate from a Thai-licensed practitioner, covering no more than 30 days. It may not be supplied to pregnant or breastfeeding women, smoked in public places or on shop premises, or taken out of the country. Sales through websites, apps and other electronic channels, and advertising in any channel, are also prohibited.

The rules are still moving. In September 2026 the cabinet approved a draft cannabis control bill that would limit cannabis to medical use; it now goes to parliament. Our guide to cannabis rules in Thailand for visitors is kept up to date.

Key takeaways

If you would like to talk about strain names, lineages or how to read a lab report, you are welcome to visit our store on Pattaya 3rd Road or contact the team. We are always happy to answer questions.

This article is general information, not legal or medical advice.

Sources

• Fat Nugs Magazine: The Real Story Behind Amsterdam’s Best-Known Cultivar, Amnesia Haze
• Seedfinder: Amnesia Haze (Soma Seeds)
• Leafly: Amnesia Haze strain
• Wageningen University & Research: Cannabis labels often wrong and misleading
• The Nation: Thailand strengthens controls on cannabis flower sales and exports (July 2026)
• The Nation: Thai cabinet endorses draft cannabis control bill for medical use (September 2026)
• Thailand Starter Kit: An Expat’s Guide to Cannabis in Thailand (updated July 2026)