If you've been blazing for a while you've probably heard the terms 'Indica,' 'Sativa,' and 'Hybrid.' And even if you've never set foot in a dispensary, you've heard categories just like it - morning people vs. night owls, cat lovers vs. dog lovers. Whatever the category may be and what you or people define you as - it can be accurate but is it really? Regarding cannabis strain categories, these strains typically define a type of feeling. Sativa strains deliver a cerebral and energetic high most suited for daytime activities whereas indica strains serve up a sooth dose of late-night couch-lock. Hybrids, well, are hybrids between the two. Whichever strain you ultimately choose, and regardless of the feeling you'd experience, it can be argued that indica strains can also give you daytime energy and sativas can knock you out.
So that's what this article is all about. We're going to figure out whether the strain classifications are really all that important. Besides, when have you ever seen any of our Weedsy Infused mini pre-rolls expressly state which strains and what their respective strain categories are? We're going to dispel the distinction between these categories because ultimately - all these strains get you baked and can help you in a myriad of ways. So let's get right into it!
WHERE DID THE STRAIN CLASSIFICATIONS COME FROM?
Back in the day, 1753 to be precise, Swiss natural Carl Linnaeus lumped all cannabis plants into a single species: Cannabis Sativa. What amounted from that? Well, you have marijuana plants and hemp plants which are similar to marijuana plants but with high CBD content as opposed to THC being classified into one plant species. And yes, other species of cannabis were discovered: Cannabis indica and Cannabis ruderalis for instance. Eventually as Cannabis sativa, indica, and ruderalis was discovered, particular plant properties were well-defined. Sativa variants possessed lighter, narrower leaves and produced that all-too-familiar head high while indica variants had darker and broader leaves. One can expect more of a body high with those.
Despite clear distinctions between the plant variants in terms of look and effect, there is no real distinction between the strains. Yep - we said it - there is no real distinction between cannabis strains worthy enough to be classified in any real way. And in the eyes of the federal government in the 1930s, cannabis and hemp was banned and only really came back into legality in very well-defined parameters in the last 20 or so years. So what gives? Why have clear strain classifications if it ultimately amounts into nothing?
BUSTING THE MYTH THAT ARE STRAIN CLASSIFICATIONS
In this day and age, cultivators and strain geneticists can breed any type of strain to produce any type of high we'd want. Looking for something with a loud terpene profile? We got it. Looking for something with a high-THC content or high other cannabinoid content? We got those too! So if we have the technology to create whatever we want, can a strain truly be "sativa" or "indica?" We think not. In a 2020 study, the UCLA Cannabis Research Initiative concluded that all cannabis strains are too molecularly similar to be split into separate species. The properties of something classified as an indica or a sativa look and act exactly the same. And even before that, a 2018 study led by Cambridge University's John M. McPartland found that after decades of selective crossbreeding of these strains to produce whatever we want effectively turned all the strains into hybrids at this point. So again - where do all of these classifications lie now?
WHERE DOES THIS LEAVE WEEDSY?
When have you ever walked into a dispensary and picked up a Weedsy and saw any notion of what strains were used in the pre-roll? We've been pretty adamant in NOT stating the strains for the flower and the distillate. Instead, we've always introduced our products as locally-sourced exotic flower infused with powerful distillate and smothered in kief. And if people still asked what exactly is in there, we'd say indica-dominant hybrids. Keyword here are hybrids. Meaning, it can be literally any strain with a loud terpene profile and high cannabinoid content. So basically, any strain.
We're large proponents of the all strains are the same type of thinking. While we do experience a really powerful "sativa" or "indica" strain from time to time, those same powerhouse strains can also deliver the exact opposite. And all this is simply because people process things differently! Me smoking an infused pre-roll would deliver a very different experience to you smoking that same pre-roll. We'd both get extremely baked, but I might experience a bit of talkativeness whereas you might be a little more physically relaxed.
At the end of the day, these strains are pretty much all the same. So should you really be paying attention to strain classifications? We don't think so - but you're a grown adult and can make that distinction on your own. Happy blazing, Weedsy fam!
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