In a perfect system, every cultivar would have a clean original reference record. Cannabis did not develop that way. Many important cultivars moved through informal channels before consistent records existed.
That does not make identity work impossible. It means the system has to document what is known now, compare samples consistently, and version the reference collection as it grows.
A practical reference system should
- Version the reference library.
- Track source and submission metadata.
- Avoid absolute global uniqueness language.
- Explain closest-neighbor context with precise dataset scope.