June 16, 2025 • 10 mins
The skunky smell of cannabis may be going out of style. NPR's science correspondent Pien Huang visited the grow facility for District Cannabis, which sells weed in Washington D.C. and Maryland. On her tour, she learned why cannabis smells the way it does. Plus, how many strains have been bred — to smells like lavender, citrus and even cookies.
Read more of science correspondent Pien Huang's reporting on this topic here, or check out the entire special series, "How safe is your weed?"
Questions about the science behind the mysteries, events and... smells... all around us? Email us at shortwave@npr.org – we'd love to hear your ideas!
Listen to Short Wave on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
NPR Privacy Policy
Read more of science correspondent Pien Huang's reporting on this topic here, or check out the entire special series, "How safe is your weed?"
Questions about the science behind the mysteries, events and... smells... all around us? Email us at shortwave@npr.org – we'd love to hear your ideas!
Listen to Short Wave on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
NPR Privacy Policy
Mark as Played
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com