Aloha, man! You know, some names in the cannabis world deserve special respect and admiration. Today, let’s talk about one shining example: Doctor’s Choice and its incredible breeder Sasha, a.k.a. Joint Doctor, the man behind the first commercial A plant that starts flowering independently of the length of the day. autoflower ↗. I deeply respect this company and its contribution to our culture.
Behind our guest is a huge amount of work, passion for his craft, and widely recognized respect. Bro, get ready to dive into the history of this unique company and learn more about the man who changed the game. Ready to take this fascinating journey?
Nice to meet you, Sasha
Sasha Przytyk, known as Joint Doctor, is a longtime Canadian cannabis enthusiast with Polish roots. He became known in the growing community for developing Lowryder, the first recognized autoflowering cannabis strain, just 20 years ago. Today, that event is recognized as a major achievement in our industry. It influenced plant diversity and earned its place in the history of genetic success. Autoflowering plants became an extremely popular new category alongside traditional In photoperiod plants, the change to flowering depends on the length of the day. photoperiod ↗ strains.
Of course, beyond his roots, JD also has close professional ties to Poland. In the years before Lowryder’s release, Sasha studied hemp cultivation at the Institute of Natural Fibres and Medicinal Plants in Poznań. During his second season in Poland, he was given the opportunity to carry out a research project: grow and compare various medicinal cannabis strains from his own collection at one of the institute’s research farms. That project led to discoveries about plants and their properties that ultimately influenced the creation of the first autoflowering strain.
The anatomy of a joint
The hero of our article, widely known among cannabis enthusiasts as Joint Doctor, actually has no medical degree. But considering his contribution to the cannabis world, you could say he deserves the title of “doctor” in this field.
At around 20 years old, already an experienced grower, Sasha found himself on a ski slope with his friend Paul. The weather wasn’t playing around: a blizzard was raging on the mountain. Despite all the obstacles, the guys managed to roll a joint before reaching the top. But a small incident damaged the joint, and Sasha brilliantly “healed” it. That was when Paul uttered the memorable line: “Dude, you’re the Joint Doctor.” It was a defining moment.
Sasha chose the name as his DJ alias. His passion for reggae and parties made him known by that name. And when the time came to write cannabis articles for underground publications, he decided to stay anonymous, using the same alias. Thanks to a unique combination of circumstances, Joint Doctor became a symbol of his passion for cannabis.
Cannabis culture
When talking about cannabis culture at the time, it’s impossible not to mention Marc Emery, the Prince of Pot. This enthusiast, who opened his seed shop in Vancouver, became a symbol of the legalization movement. While police often turned a blind eye to marijuana cases, focusing on harder drugs, Vancouver gradually became an incubator for cannabis.
Working with Marc Emery opened a new door for our hero: writing articles for Cannabis Culture magazine. That was how his writing career in the cannabis world began.
Lowryder’s thorny path
Today, 20 years after the first seed sale, this story is worth revisiting for its roots, the true passion for growing, and the research that led to the creation of a cannabis legend.
A lot has changed since 2003. But the story was already underway even before that date. Quebec’s Eastern Townships, where our hero grew up, were less famous than British Columbia but had cannabis secrets of their own. Old-school hippies who moved there brought seeds from different corners of the world: Afghanistan, Colombia, and so on. These places were steeped in traditions and knowledge about growing quality cannabis.
Among the many seeds and strains exchanged between friends and neighbors, one stood out. Previously known as Willy’s Odd or Willy’s Automatic, this strain was striking for its characteristics: it flowered incredibly early and quickly. Even before anyone understood the plant’s full potential, its uniqueness was obvious.
Among Sasha’s friends was a wise “Mexican Rastaman,” Antonio, who had charm, cannabis knowledge, and, most importantly, a collection of rare seeds. There was also another loyal buddy, Christian, with whom he planned to grow.
Antonio had something not everyone did: Mexican Ruderalis. These small plants, flowering and maturing right under the summer sun, were a lifesaver for many.
Inspired by this uniqueness, and perhaps by the need for small, fast-growing plants in limited spaces — picture the move from a spacious farm to a small dorm room! — our hero decided to begin his growing experiments with his friend Christian. His interest in Mexican ruderalis was only the start of his journey into the cannabis world, where he sought to create the ideal plant by combining growth speed, compact size, and quality. Influenced by Antonio’s seeds and advice, the young grower set out to explore the possibilities and find his place in the cannabis world.
Picture two friends in a Vancouver apartment, each with his own plants in a room split exactly in half. Christian was organized and methodical; Sasha was impulsive and experimental. That combination sparked ideas and experiments that, as it later turned out, would earn a special place in cannabis history. They crossed every plant they had, hoping to find something cool among them.
But that was only the beginning. Next, Sasha had the opportunity to travel to his ancestral homeland, Poland, to study cannabis. This allowed him to continue his research, carefully testing the first generation of new hybrids. At that point, the cross showed no signs of autoflowering. When you cross an autoflower with a photoperiod plant, the The first generation from a cross between two parents. F1 ↗ can produce plants with a shorter flowering period that are still photoperiod-dependent.
Then the Doctor moved back to Canada. He lived on the Saskatchewan prairies, worked, grew cannabis, and sold seeds. That was his main job. Alongside it, he was still working on his strains.
Sasha grew in his friend Dave’s basement for his own safety. Dave and Sasha remain best friends to this day. Dave was a photographer, so much of the information and many of the photos surviving from that time are thanks to him. The guys grew the next generation of seeds in his basement.
And after two weeks, they had three or four male plants, tiny seedlings that began putting out male flowers. The guys were stunned: “What the fuck is this? This isn’t supposed to flower!” They simply started developing buds. But the buddies were really happy about it. In the end, they kept all those plants and practically forgot about everything else.
They kept every plant that flowered on its own, so the next generation turned out to be 100% autoflowering. They didn’t fully understand how it worked: Sasha wasn’t a geneticist and was learning as he went. It turned out to be a A trait that can be inherited without being expressed in a cross. Autoflowering is an example in the Lowryder story. recessive trait ↗ that had to be fixed. The name Lowryder didn’t exist yet. The strain was called Auto Willey.
A little later, they decided to call it “Lowryder.” The idea came while Sasha was reading Lowrider, a magazine about cars, because the plants had Mexican ancestors. The guys just added a “y” to avoid violating copyright.
So it all started small. The internet was only beginning to play an important role in society. To spread the word about Lowryder, Sasha was active on many forums. I don’t know if you’ve heard of sites like overgrow.com and Hybrid. The Doctor ran the latter. It was something like a place where everyone talked about autoflowers. The idea spread like wildfire.
It wasn’t only big-name professional growers who gathered there. People came who might never have grown before but simply wanted to have their own stash.
Stability above all!
There were some differences within the first generation officially named Lowryder, which was of high, good quality. It really had the flavor of William’s Wonder. The plants were fairly robust. But because the guys grew several generations using a small number of plants, it led to some inbreeding depression.
Some of their plants were too small. A few were even freaks. Too much inbreeding. So Sasha decided to create new versions, introducing new genetics. That’s how Diesel Ryder and Chronic Ryder came about.
And, of course, when we talk about Lowryder, most people probably know and try Lowryder 2, because it became one of the most successful strains of all time. It was the original Lowryder crossed with Santa Maria, a Brazilian strain the Doctor had received seeds of. And its flavor was simply amazing.
The strain was very potent. It was fairly popular at the time. Not very well known, but it really was an elite genetic strain. The fresh blood introduced into Lowryder 2 was much stronger, more stable, and larger. This was the strain that became one of the most popular of its time.
The guys began releasing Feminized seeds are produced to give female plants. feminized ↗ strains. It did take several years to figure out feminization, though. So at first, the Regular seeds can produce both male and female plants. regular ↗ version was the one being sold. And yes, all of this was happening on the black market at the time. How else?
A licensed product and recognition
Everything changed when Sasha finally got a medical license. He was able to set his fears aside and step things up. For several years, he held a license to grow medical cannabis as an approved grower. It allowed him to serve several patients. Although the license did not allow commercial cannabis operations, it provided protection, allowing him to invest in a greenhouse and grow plants without fear of the cops. The environment around growing was becoming increasingly tolerant. Still, despite taking medical growing seriously, he always pursued his main goal: breeding cannabis and creating new strains, which ultimately became his main occupation and passion.
Gradually, people came to know him. Not necessarily personally, but Sasha developed a reputation. He met people he had once looked up to: Simon from Serious Seeds, Soma from Sacred Seeds, and other old-school breeders. But Sasha wanted to keep improving. There was plenty of work ahead.
Eventually, Lowryder was recognized as the first 100% autoflowering strain, and Joint Doctor was dubbed the “Father of Autoflowers.” Today, autoflowering strains, widely used by seed banks, make up about 40% of the European seed market.
Doctor’s Choice: Sasha’s current project
Joint Doctor’s skill did not go unnoticed, and our hero was brought into various projects. In 2018, Sublime Culture Inc. signed a consulting agreement under which Sasha served as master breeder at Sublime’s facility in Laval, Quebec. He also developed several cannabis products, including hash, for J2 Science, a small licensed producer (LP) run by a friend. And, of course, he created internationally known seed brands: The Joint Doctor, High-bred Seeds, and Doctor’s Choice.
Today, Sasha Przytyk’s main focus is developing Doctor’s Choice. He has devoted an enormous amount of time to building this business and achieving its current success. The company’s name reflects Sasha’s deep knowledge of the field.
Became a grower? Be a breeder!
Looking at the history of Sasha’s work and contribution to our culture, you can conclude that he paid a lot of attention to growing medical cannabis while developing his knowledge and skills and working on breeding. But his true desire is not just to provide a good product, but to inspire others. The Doctor and Co. seek to share their knowledge, teach the cannabis community to create its own masterpieces, and contribute to the diversity and development of this wonderful culture.
They see their mission as both creating new, unique strains and supporting the entire community of cannabis enthusiasts. Yes, bro, you personally can get into breeding and provide yourself with a lifetime supply of seeds, or even create your own unique genetics.
I hope this story gives you new insights into the difficult but important work in our field. Maybe you’ll find some motivation in it, or even spark the idea of following your own path as a breeder. And, as always, I’m waiting for your feedback, suggestions, and shared experience in the DZAGI thread.
Sources: publicly available publications about the company and the strain.
