Bud Backstories: The Origin of Chemdawg

April 14, 2026
By Ali Lopez

This article first appeared in the Pet edition of Fat Nugs Magazine, published August, 2024

The history of Chemdawg (or Chemdog) begins at a Grateful Dead concert, as most cannabis stories do. Now, if you’ve never been to a Grateful Dead concert, it’s important to know about Shakedown Street. This is what Deadheads called the mini-festival that gets set up in the parking lots outside of Grateful Dead concerts, usually in the parking lot (it’s named after a Grateful Dead song). Concertgoers sell handmade goods like shirts, jewelry, art, and, of course, weed. On June 6, 1991, the Grateful Dead made a stop in Deer Park, Indiana. Shakedown Street was set up and in full effect. Two buddies, Joe Brand (aka Wonkanobe) and P Bud, hit Shakedown Street with a few pounds of pot they got from a friend of a friend in Colorado. They said this weed was so strong that it would “knock you on your back like a dog.” So, they started calling it “Dog Bud.” After trying it themselves, Joe noticed that the flower had a “chemmy” taste to it. Nowadays, we would probably describe it as having a really “diesel” or “gassy” flavor. Because of the flavor, Joe and P Bud gave Dog Bud a second nickname: Chem Weed.

In Comes Greg

Joe and P Bud brought their bag of Dog Bud, aka Chem Weed, to the Deer Park, Indiana Shakedown Street, shouting every Deadhead’s favorite phrase: “We’ve got kind bud!” Then, a customer by the name of Greg appeared. Greg said this bud was some of the best he’d ever smoked, so he bought an ounce. Before he went on his way, Greg asked Joe and P Bud for their phone numbers so he could hit them up when he ran out. Greg followed The Grateful Dead until their last show, and smoked Dog Bud at almost every show. When he got home, he called his friends for more Dog Bud, and they sent him a few more ounces in the mail. At the bottom of one of those bags, there were 13 little seeds. Little did he know he hit the genetic jackpot. Greg planted 4 of the 13 seeds. One of the first plants was male, so he chucked it and kept the three female plants. Greg remembered Joe and P Bud referring to the strain as both Dog Bud and Chem Weed, so he mashed the two names together and came up with Chemdog. Greg wanted to keep note of the difference in each seed, so he called the plants Chemdog (now known as Chemdog ‘91), Chemdog A (now known as Chem’s sister), and Chemdog B (still known as Chem B). He used these clones to create an abundant field of Chemdog plants that took the American cannabis culture by storm.

The Reunion

Greg and P Bud reunited in 2006 after Chemdog had taken off, won awards, and created numerous other popular strains like NYC Diesel, Chem Haze, and Super Snowdog. Greg returned 4 of the original seeds to P Bud, and a new generation of Chemdog, Chem 4, was born. Unfortunately, while the Chemdog craze was sky high, things took a turn for the worse in 2011 when Greg was arrested and charged with cultivation and possession of cannabis, which in turn lost him his car, house, and, of course, his plants. While Greg held off on growing when he was on probation, cultivators like IC Collective, Skunk VA, and TopDawg wanted to keep the Chemdog family alive, so they took over cultivating Chemdog and its child strains. At this point, you might be saying to yourself, “Wait a second, I thought it was ChemDAWG, not ChemDOG.” Well, you’re not crazy, and this isn’t one of those Mandela Effect situations. The original spelling of Chemdog has always been d-o-g. However, when TopDawg got their paws on Chemdog, they wanted it to match their marketing. After all, they were famous for strains like Tres Dawg, Star Dawg, and Black Dawg, so why not make it ChemDawg? This spelling change honored the original strain but also differentiated TopDawg’s breeding projects.

The Legend of Chemdog Continues

Today, Chemdawg has solidified itself as one of the most iconic strains of all time. As for Greg “Chemdog” Krzanowski, he became a talented glass-blower and eventually the Director of Cultivation for Canna Provisions, which is now the only place you can get the OG Chemdog strain, grown by the OG himself. Chemdog’s saga is the stuff of cannabis legend– a tale that starts in the vibrant chaos of a Grateful Dead concert and grows into one of the most influential strains ever. The story of the man behind the strain is equally compelling. From discovering those 13 magic seeds to cultivating the plant that would redefine cannabis culture, his dedication and passion never wavered, even through legal battles and personal loss. So next time you light up some Chemdog, remember you’re partaking in a piece of cannabis lore, a legacy that started with a couple of buddies, a bag of potent weed, and a Grateful Dead concert that changed everything.