- Cannabis turns purple because of anthocyanins — the same natural pigments that color blueberries, red cabbage, and eggplant. Genetics decide whether a plant *can* go purple; cooler temperatures late in the grow help those pigments show.
- Purple color does not mean stronger weed. It's cosmetic. What you actually feel comes from the plant's cannabinoids and terpenes, and it varies from person to person.
- In stock now at the licensed Richmond Hill store: Purple Headband (To The Moon), Purple Haze (Fyre), GDP pre-rolls (Ruby Farms), a Granddaddy Purple all-in-one vape (Fernway), SOAP x Purple Punch moonrocks (Lobo), and Blue Mochi (To The Moon).
- Stock changes daily — check the live menu before you come in. 21+ with a valid ID.
Why does some cannabis turn purple?
The short version: pigment plus temperature. Cannabis leaves and flowers are normally green because of chlorophyll. Some plants also carry anthocyanins — a family of natural pigments that show up as purple, blue, and deep red. They're the exact same compounds that make blueberries blue, red cabbage red, and eggplant skin that dark violet. When conditions are right, the anthocyanins become visible and the flower reads purple instead of green.
Two things have to line up. First, genetics: a plant can only turn purple if its lineage gives it the ability to produce anthocyanins in the first place. No genetic potential, no purple, no matter how you grow it. Second, environment — especially temperature. As a plant finishes flowering, cooler weather (particularly cooler nights) slows chlorophyll production. With less green masking them, the purple pigments come through. That's why purple phenotypes often show their color most in the last weeks of an outdoor fall harvest or in a carefully managed indoor room.
Does purple weed hit harder or mean it's stronger?
No. This is the single most common myth, so it's worth being blunt: color is not potency. A vivid purple bud is not automatically stronger, higher in THC, or more "premium" than a green one sitting next to it. The purple is a cosmetic result of pigments and growing conditions — it tells you about the plant's genetics and the weather it finished in, not about how it will affect you.
What actually shapes the experience is the mix of cannabinoids and terpenes in that specific batch, and — just as importantly — your own body, tolerance, and the amount you consume. Two people can try the same purple flower and describe it completely differently. So pick purple strains because you like the look, the aroma, or the flavor profile, not because you expect the color to do something. Effects vary from person to person, every time.
Do purple strains taste different?
Not because of the color itself. Anthocyanins are pigments, not flavor compounds — they don't have a taste. What people notice as the "grape," "berry," or "sweet" character in a lot of purple varieties comes from terpenes, the aromatic oils the plant makes. It just happens that several classic purple lineages also tend to carry sweet, fruity, or floral terpene profiles, so the look and the flavor got associated over the years.
If you want to go deeper on how aroma and flavor actually work in cannabis, the terpenes explainer breaks it down without the jargon. The takeaway for shopping: read the strain's described aroma and format, not just its color.
Which purple strains does the team carry right now?
Here are the purple and color-forward names on the shelf at the licensed store in Richmond Hill as of the latest menu check. These are specific in-stock products, but cannabis inventory moves fast, so treat this as a snapshot — the live menu is always the source of truth for what's actually available today.
Purple, front and center
- Purple Headband — To The Moon (flower, 3.5g): a classic purple-named flower for people who want the whole-bud experience, ground and rolled or packed however you prefer.
- Purple Haze — Fyre (flower, 3.5g): one of the most recognizable names in cannabis, and a staple pick for anyone who searched their way here on the name alone.
- GDP — Ruby Farms (pre-rolls): GDP is short for Granddaddy Purple, a genuinely iconic purple variety, here in ready-to-go pre-roll form for the least fuss.
- Granddaddy Purple — Fernway (all-in-one vape, 1g): the same famous purple lineage in a rechargeable all-in-one vape, if you'd rather not deal with flower at all. See the vapes explainer if AIO devices are new to you.
Color-forward and worth a look
- SOAP x Purple Punch — Lobo (moonrocks): moonrocks are a specialty, high-intensity format built on a Purple Punch cross — a serious option best left to experienced consumers, not a first-timer's pick.
- Blue Mochi — To The Moon (flower, 3.5g): not purple, but squarely in the same cool-toned, dessert-leaning family a lot of purple shoppers also enjoy — a good adjacent pick if the purple names are sold out.
How should a beginner shop the purple shelf?
Shop by what you'll actually use, in this order:
- Pick a format first. Flower gives you the full ritual; pre-rolls are the grab-and-go option; an all-in-one vape is the lowest-effort route. Purple options exist in all three here.
- Then read the aroma and description, not the color. That's where terpenes — the flavor and smell — actually live.
- Start low and go slow, especially with an unfamiliar strain or a concentrated format like moonrocks. You can always have more; you can't have less.
- Check the live [menu](https://cannabiscowboy.dispensary.shop) before you leave home, since the exact purple names in stock change from week to week.
When you're ready, you can reserve online for order-ahead pickup and collect at the store in Richmond Hill. Adult-use sales are 21+ with a valid government ID, every time.